Our Favorites
& How to Watch Them:
Amy Heckerling
Art by April Wilkins (@aprilirene)
Letter by Kristen Lange (@Kristen_Lange)
Clueless (1995): The one where America fell in love with Paul Rudd. And Alicia Silverstone should have won an Oscar for making a beautiful, rich, California girl so charming.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Teens being teens being teens being teens. In Southern California. In this Cameron Crowe penned quintessential high school movie, a million future stars make their film debut, including three future Oscar winners. Also, Sean Penn is funny in it, which is weird to think about.
Look Who's Talking (1989): Another Heckling writer/director double-play. Bruce Willis plays the subconscious voice of an in-utero baby who is then born to a single mom (Kirstie Alley). Most of the movie involves said baby/toddler trying to get his mom together with the cab driver (John Travolta) that drove her to the hospital when she was in labor. Spawned two sequels, a spinoff series, and made $297 million at the box office.
Amy Heckerling
Dear Amy Heckerling
As you probably already know, you’re the seventh highest-grossing female filmmaker of all time. You made your directing debut with one of the most iconic teen movies ever made— Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And you were only 27 (27!) when you made it. But that’s not why I’m calling…
I’m actually writing to you because of my deep, DEEP love for Clueless, the 1995 comedy which you both wrote and directed. And which I have seen roughly 30 times. (Honestly, this estimate is wildly conservative, but I’m trying to play it cool.)
I remember the first time I saw Clueless. I was not-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman years old and my best friend was coming for a sleepover. So my mom and I were at Blockbuster because I can’t remember if the internet existed yet, but I needed a movie to watch. And that’s where I discovered the VHS display box for Clueless. Best Friend and I watched it that night and again the next morning and would it be too much to say this was one of the best decisions of my life?
Sure, Clueless is young and cool and seemingly superficial. But it’s also smart and funny and a rare coming-of-age story where the protagonist actually learns something. You never treated Cher Horowitz like a stupid teenager and because of that, she wasn’t one. She learns to be more accepting of others and realizes how boring life would be if different people weren’t bringing different life experiences to the table. (Should we, uh, make everyone in America watch Clueless maybe? Just an idea…)
And look, do I still sometimes fall asleep at night thinking about that one shot where Cher realizes she loves her ex-step-brother, Josh, and the fountains swell behind her just as the chorus to “All by Myself” kicks in? Yes. The answer to that is obviously yes.
And so, in conclusion, will my love for Clueless ever fade? As if.