Latest news with #AmyHeckerling
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Actor reveals insight on planned reboot of much-loved 1990s classic
Alicia Silverstone confirmed the planned Clueless reboot series is currently in its "baby stages" of development. Silverstone is set to reprise her iconic role as Cher Horowitz for the series, which will stream on Peacock. The actor stated the goal is to honour what fans love about the original film while introducing fresh elements. Silverstone will executive produce alongside original writer-director Amy Heckerling and producer Robert Lawrence, with Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Jordan Weiss also writing and executive producing. Fans have expressed excitement for the reboot but also noted the absence of original cast members like Brittany Murphy, who passed away in 2009.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Cult classic 90s comedy shaped a generation finally streaming on Netflix
Clueless was a hit with critics and audiences alike and quickly became a cultural touchstone - not to mention a huge box office success. The film was followed by a TV series spin-off, which ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999. A timeless classic that culturally influenced and mirrored an entire generation of audiences has arrived on Netflix. What would subsequently inspire countless Halloween outfits, endless quotations and a lasting place in pop culture history initially began as a television pilot in 1993. "Twentieth Century Fox said they wanted a show about teenagers - but not the nerds. They wanted it to be about the cool kids," revealed writer and director Amy Heckerling in a DVD-exclusive special feature. Heckerling, who had studied Jane Austen's Emma during her university years, chose to craft a contemporary take on the character. "I started to think, 'What's the larger context for that kind of a 'nothing can go wrong, always looks through rose-coloured glasses' kind of girl? So I tried to take all the things that were in this sort of pretty 1800s world and see what that would be like if it was in Beverly Hills." This gave birth to Clueless - the 1995 teen comedy featuring Cher Horowitz, a well-off, fashionable and perpetually upbeat secondary school pupil in Beverly Hills, who embarks on helping others whilst managing friendships, romances and her own personal development, reports the Express. Together with her best mate Dionne (both named after famous singers), Cher chooses to give new transfer pupil Tai a makeover and steer her through the school's social pecking order - only to discover herself experiencing a transformation of her own. Almost 30 years later, the film's appeal remains intact. One viewer said: "Alicia Silverstone is pure gold". One viewer added: "It might be 30 years old now, but it still stands the test of time. An enjoyable movie that doesn't feel old and is as relevant now as it was then." Another hailed it as "by far the best movie ever made about rich teenagers. It's so funny you'll watch it over and over again. This movie is a solid classic for life." For many who grew up with it, Clueless is more than just a comedy. "As a kid of the 90s, I always enjoy watching it. The fashion, the dialogues... it's a feelgood film. It's a shame (teen) films are not like that anymore," another fan expressed. Smart, stylish and endlessly quotable, Clueless is seen by many as the ultimate teen movie of its era - and as one reviewer put it: "If you haven't seen this film, then you're missing out on what it felt like to be a teenager in the 90s. A+." Clueless is now available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ and more.
Digital Trends
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
If you have to watch one Netflix movie in August 2025, stream this one
There are few absolutely perfect comedies. In some ways, making a comedy movie is harder than any other genre, especially as the years pass and any particular references start to feel more and more stale. That's what makes Clueless feel a little bit like a miracle. This Amy Heckerling classic, which is turning 30 this year, is one of the best comedies ever made, and an absolute must-watch whether you've seen it 30 times or never before. An adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma set in Beverly Hills in 1995, the movie is both totally of its time and utterly timeless. Here are three reasons it's worth checking out: It's so, so funny The best reason to watch Clueless is because it is one of the funniest scripts ever written. Heckerling, who wrote the film in addition to directing it, made Alicia Silverstone's Cher an instantly iconic character. Silverstone's Cher is a privileged popular girl, but she's textured to be something more engrossing, which makes her funnier. Recommended Videos It's different than the stereotypes you might be expecting. Every minute of this movie has a great joke in it, and you're going to catch and laugh at different ones every time. 'I thought they declared peace in the Middle East.' If only, Cher. It's a lush, beautiful movie Comedy movies typically don't get the kind of directorial flair that you might find in more serious projects, but Clueless is the perfect marriage of laughs and craft. The movie's iconic costuming — you can probably picture several outfits from the movie without thinking that hard — is just an exaggeration of how kids were actually dressing at the time. The colors themselves are also incredibly vibrant, creating a version of Beverly Hills that feels like a middle ground between utter fantasy and the dreariness of something more realistic. It's genuinely moving Perhaps the most surprising thing about Clueless is that the movie manages to land all of its emotional moments. Cher's character arc is a relatively small journey. Cher goes from being slightly narcissistic to caring a little bit more about other people and the world in general. What's crucial to the movie's success is that lack of 'bad guys.' All of these characters are just young people trying to figure out how to get through their lives and high school without totally falling apart. Cher's realization that she's in love with her stepbrother is cute and represents a moment when she finally figures out what she wants out of her life. It's a lovely moment, and one that Silverstone and Paul Rudd totally sell. You can watch Clueless on Netflix.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alicia Silverstone Reveals How Soon She Knew Brittany Murphy Would be the Perfect Tai in ‘Clueless'
Alicia Silverstone knew Brittany Murphy was perfect for Tai in Clueless from day one. The 1995 film is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. To commemorate the moment, the Guardian reflected on what it took to bring the movie to the big screen in an interview with writer-director Amy Heckerling and Silverstone published on Saturday, July 19. Casting director Marcia Ross was responsible for bringing in key players in the film's cast, including a then-17-year-old Murphy, who read for the part of Tai. Murphy didn't necessarily think she had a shot at the role, Heckeringly revealed, but everyone else was immediately sold — including Silverstone. 'Everybody' loved Murphy, Heckerling said, adding that, 'Alicia was trying to tell me: 'Oh my God, it has to be her' immediately after the pair's chemistry read. After the read,Heckerling assured the star that they were in full agreement. Breckin Meyer Remembers Late Brittany Murphy's During 90s Con 'Clueless' Reunion: She Was So 'Talented' Mona May, the movie's costume designer who was also interviewed, pointed out that Silverstone had little in common with her character, Cher. 'She was already saving animals and walking around in her sweatpants and flip-flops with two dogs in tow into the fitting. She was not Cher in real life,' May explained. Silverstone added, 'I was not one bit interested in fashion at that time personally, and my usual outfit was jeans and my favorite green T-shirt. I looked at Cher as being extremely confident and having a deep, healthy love of herself.' Of course, it's difficult to discuss the movie's impact 30 years later without reflecting on Murphy's unexpected death in 2009, when she was only 32 years old. Murphy's autopsy listed pneumonia as her cause of death, though debate regarding exactly how the actress died has continued since her passing. 'I always think about Brittany and it's really hard to do any of this and not talk about her,' costar Elisa Donovan, who played Cher's enemy Amber in the movie, told the outlet. 'She was so talented and just had so much energy and so vibrant … just this hummingbird, frenetic sort of energy, but also like, 'everything's great. I got it. No problem.' The anniversary of the film 'makes me emotional because I feel like she should be doing a lot of this, like she would be doing a lot of this,' Donovan also added. Dr. Lisa Scheinin, who performed Murphy's autopsy, exclusively told Us Weekly in 2024 that there's a reason why so many people can't let go of the actresses' memory. Breckin Meyer Remembers Late Brittany Murphy's During 90s Con 'Clueless' Reunion: She Was So 'Talented' 'A lot of times, when a celebrity dies, there's an initial flurry of interest and then it just fades away,' she said, but the mystery surrounding Murphy's passing makes that more difficult to do. Scheinin also said Murphy's anemia exacerbated her poor health. 'All she needed was to have gone to a doctor who would probably have sent her immediately for blood transfusions. Her hematocrit [red blood cell count] was practically so low at death it was incompatible with life. I'm surprised she lasted that long.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I Won't Watch "Clueless" The Same Way After Reading These 34 Fascinating Behind-The-Scenes Facts
This week marks the 30th anniversary of Clueless — and what better way to celebrate than to learn some fun facts about the classic? It's greater than a game of suck and blow... Amy Heckerling originally pitched Clueless to Twentieth Century Fox as a TV series called No Worries — but the executives thought it "needed more boys". when working on it as a movie, it took awhile to settle on the title Clueless. Before that, Amy Heckerling used the titles I Was A Teenage Teenager and later Clueless in California. was partially inspired by Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which Amy Heckerling also directed. She recognised he was the most popular character she'd created and decided that that was because he's "positive", so she wanted to create a lead who was positive and happy — which became Cher. was when she was re-working the idea from a TV show to a movie that Amy Heckerling revisited Jane Austen's Emma and realized Cher was basically a modern Emma, and she could base the plot of Clueless on Jane Austen's novel. she was writing the script, Amy Heckerling pictured the Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz as Josh. Witherspoon, Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, and Tiffani Thiessen all auditioned for the role of Cher — and so did Brittany Murphy, who went on to play Tai. / WireImage, Jim Smeal / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Affleck and Zach Braff both auditioned for the role of Josh, as did Jeremy Sisto, who got the role of Elton, and Justin Walker, who went on the play Christian. Ron Davis / Getty Images, Getty Images being cast as Josh, Paul Rudd originally asked to read for the role of Murray, not realising the character was black and thinking he was a "white guy who's trying to co-opt black culture". He also read for Christian and Elton before Amy Heckerling suggested he try Josh. Green — who is Breckin Meyer's best friend — was the other top choice for Breckin's role of Travis. Terrence Howard, who is close friends with Donald Faison, was a top contender for the role of Murray. Hill auditioned for the role of Dionne. Michelle Gellar was offered the role of Amber, but couldn't get out of her obligations to All My Children, which she was working on at the time. Silverstone thought Cher was a "materialistic, annoying little bitch" when she first read the script. She changed her mind when she realised how much Cher cares about her dad and other people. had no idea that Clueless was based on Emma until after she'd finished filming. Dash, who played Dionne, was 27 years old and had a six-year-old son at the time of filming. making Clueless, Jeremy Sisto had previously worked with Alicia Silverstone on a movie called Hideaway — he played a serial killer who goes after her character. Heckerling based the role of Mr. Hall on a friend of hers who was a teacher, who helped her observe real classes while she was working on the script, and even had a cameo as the principal in the final movie. she always had Wallace Shawn in mind to play Mr. Hall — and he was actually a teacher for three years in real life. Heckerling had a cameo as a bridesmaid for Miss Geist's wedding to Mr. Hall — she is best friends with Twink Caplan, who played Miss Geist, in real life. Heckerling borrowed the unique slang used in the movie from a bunch of places, including real teens at Beverly Hills High School and those auditioning for the movie, the castmembers and crew, the queer community, and, of course, her own brain. wanted Josh and Cher to be next-door neighbours because they thought the ex-step-sibling relationship was "too incestuous" — but Amy Heckerling pushed back, arguing (truthfully) that her own grandparents had been step-siblings who met as teenagers. Meyer sprained his ankle while rehearsing one of the skateboarding scenes, and subsequent scenes that featured him had to work around the fact he couldn't really walk. 23.A fake, cardboard credit card was used for the "suck and blow" scene because some of the actors couldn't "suck" on a real credit card long enough to film their shots. filming Clueless, Paul Rudd's real life echoed the movie in a scary way — like Cher, he was robbed at gunpoint after he'd been out with a friend one night. 'This is an Alaïa' dress wasn't originally part of the script — the dress was chosen first, and then written in. Silverstone had a massive 63 costume changes over the course of the movie. Rudd wore a lot of his own clothes to play Josh — including the Amnesty International t-shirt. Faison didn't actually have braces in real life — he wore them as Murray to hide an extra tooth he had (a baby tooth that had never fallen out). hairclip Cher wears in the concert scene was later used on Amanda Bynes' character in She's the Man. Paramount Pictures, Miramax costume designer Mona May later worked on Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, which she described as a "grown-up" version of Clueless, aesthetically. the iconic opening looks Cher and Dionne wear, the plaid suits were meant to be reminiscent of schoolgirl uniforms, while the over-the-knee socks were inspired by Cabaret. Silverstone kept a lot of Cher's outfits, but ended up giving them all away. extras were randomly paired to makeout for a party scene — they later went on to get engaged in real life. Rudd gave everyone one of those necklaces with their name written on a grain of rice as a farewell gift when shooting wrapped. Clueless on Hulu.
