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Time Magazine
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
'Clueless' Proved Amy Heckerling Was Brilliant. But It's Not Her Only Stroke of Genius
How do you measure the worth of a filmmaker's career? Do you tick off box-office returns, or the awards lined up on a shelf? Which is a better determination of success, a string of hits or a film that lives on in the cultural imagination for decades, and counting? Or how about this: Can you measure a career in terms of generosity of spirit? Writer-director Amy Heckerling's Clueless turns 30 on Aug. 19, and if she'd made no other movies, this delightful modern reimagining of Jane Austen's Emma would have been an accomplishment by itself. Alicia Silverstone's Cher, a Beverly Hills high school student with a closet of riotous and costly mix-and-match outfits and a knack for negotiating higher grades without actually earning them, comes off as shallow and spoiled. But there's kindness and decency there too: she tries her hand at matchmaking, at first to further her own aims, only to realize that she likes bringing people together. She's too pragmatic to want love for herself, until she's forced to acknowledge that she's fallen for the guy she'd always thought of as an annoying brother figure, Paul Rudd's Josh, the son of her father's ex-wife. Clueless is both original (credit Heckerling with bringing the phrase As if! into the lexicon) and expertly crafted (its smart, breezy gags are strung together as gracefully as a strand of pearls). It also shows great affection for its characters, even while mocking them gently. When Cher refers to one of the great sword-and-sandal epics as 'Sporadicus,' you love her more, not less: she's not demeaning movies and experiences that are unfamiliar to her—she's just so eager that she bungles some of the specifics. That's the Heckerling touch, the mark of a filmmaker who has always led with confidence rather than ego—which is why the industry, incapable of grasping the difference between the two, never knew what to make of her, not even after she'd made one of the greatest teen movies of the 1980s, if not all time, 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Maybe it takes an outlier to make comedies that endure, as Clueless and Fast Times have. And maybe the lesson of Heckerling's checkerboard career isn't that today's fractured world of filmmaking needs more people who know how to play the game—it's that we need more outliers who play on their own terms. Today we regularly and openly champion women filmmakers, to the point where it can feel performative. But Heckerling and a small group of her contemporaries—like her friend Joan Micklin Silver, who'd self-financed her first film, the marvelous immigrant-in-New York story Hester Street (1975)—were striving to make films when women directors were still treated as interlopers, not to be trusted with big studio budgets. At 28 the Bronx-born Heckerling—a graduate of New York University, with a master's in film from the American Film Institute—made her feature debut with Fast Times, adapted from Cameron Crowe's book about teenage life in a Southern California high school. Fast Times was like no other teen movie at the time, particularly for the unvarnished way it presented teen pregnancy—and abortion. Universal, the studio behind the film, nearly backed off when early test audiences responded negatively to that abortion subplot. The executives eventually relented, and Fast Times did well enough at the box office that Heckerling got to make two more films in quick succession: 1984's gangster spoof Johnny Dangerously, which didn't make money, and 1985's National Lampoon's European Vacation, which did. But Heckerling's biggest hit would be the 1989 comedy Look Who's Talking, starring Kirstie Alley as a single mother whose son—first as an infant and then as a toddler—wisecracks like a sailor on shore leave, though only the audience can hear it. (Bruce Willis provides the kid's voice.) The gimmick looks broad on paper, but the movie is both fun and stealthily forthright, a mischievously sympathetic film about a modern mom trying to hold it all together by herself. Sometimes the best way to deal with the most serious subjects is to treat them like a lark. Next, Heckerling took on one of the movie's two sequels, 1990's Look Who's Talking Too. Clueless would arrive five years later—but as adored as the film is today, it was only a moderate hit at the time. Heckerling's language has always been the mainstream comedy—a surefire way to get the guys at the top to take you seriously—which may explain why, since Clueless, she's never had the career she deserved. Her last feature was 2012's amiable horror comedy Vamps, starring Silverstone and Krysten Ritter as vampire girls who strive to hang on to their vampirific youth (they feast only on rats' blood) rather than be forced to age like humans. Since then, Heckerling has worked in television—directing episodes of Gossip Girl and Amazon Prime's Red Oaks—and has turned Clueless into a musical, now playing in London's West End. But let's track back to the idea of what it means to get 'the career you deserve.' That's what happens when you deliver profits to executives. But what if you've made good or even terrific movies that have simply failed to land? Heckerling's so-called failures are better movies, with more heart, than many other comedy directors' successes. In the 2000 Loser, Jason Biggs plays Paul, a sweet but unhip Midwestern kid who gets a scholarship to NYU, only to be met with the sneering savagery of his rich-kid roommates. His crush, Mena Suvari's spiky, perceptive Dora, is involved with one of her professors (a weaselly Greg Kinnear). Loser is sharp and unyielding when it comes to human cruelty and boorishness; as always, Heckerling reserves her scrappy tenderness for the characters who deserve it. You really see that affection in 2007's I Could Never Be Your Woman, a film that, thanks to distribution-rights issues beyond Heckerling's control, was never released in U.S. theaters, going straight to DVD. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Rosie, a writer and producer on a TV show about entitled but seemingly average teenagers. (Heckerling based the movie on her own experience adapting Clueless into a television series in the late 1990s.) Rosie is in her mid-40s and divorced, with an 11-year-old daughter (Saoirse Ronan, in her film debut). She hasn't dated in forever. Then a new actor, Paul Rudd's late-20-something Adam, signs on for her show. She's reluctantly attracted to him. Is she too old? Is he too young? Most men wouldn't entertain those questions for long, but they hit Rosie hard. Pfeiffer vests Rosie's self-doubt with effervescent energy. There's no need to feel sorry for her—but you can't help wanting the best for her. Though Paramount had initially bought the script for I Could Never Be Your Woman, the studio declined to make the movie. 'There was some concern about doing a movie with an older female protagonist—not everybody's favorite demographic,' Heckerling told Entertainment Weekly in 2008. She went with an independent producer, which is where the movie's distribution woes began. Today, it's easy to stream if you seek it out, though relatively few people even know it exists. And that's how a brisk, intelligent movie ends up languishing. It could happen to anyone, and it happened to Heckerling. In the early 2000s, when many of us were complaining about the lack of smart romantic comedies for adults, this picture, one with charm and bite, was hiding in plain view. Now, at a time when the big-studio theatrical release barely exists, it's like a shining relic from a lost era. If this is what you leave behind when you haven't had the career you deserve, maybe that just means you've made a series of right choices. Anyone who thinks of them as wrong turns is the real loser.
New York Post
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Back to the Future' turns 40 — and the first actor to play Marty McFly was fired: ‘It was devastating'
Forty years ago, moviegoers were almost shouting, 'Great Stoltz!' That's because 'Back to the Future,' the science-fiction classic that hit theaters on July 3, 1985, nearly starred a very different actor than Michael J. Fox. The poor guy even shot scenes. Advertisement 5 Eric Stoltz was the first actor to play Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' before being fired and replaced with Michael J. Fox. Paramount Pictures The first man to don the orange puffer vest as unwitting teen time traveler Marty McFly was Eric Stoltz, then the star of 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' 'The Wild Life' and 'The New Kids.' But he was ultimately denied the keys to the DeLorean. Advertisement 'The director fired me,' Stoltz, now 63, said in a 1993 interview with Bob Costas. 'He didn't like my work.' The stung actor added, 'It was devastating to me.' From the offset, director Robert Zemeckis, who had notched a hit in 'Romancing the Stone' with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, and producer Steven Spielberg craved Fox for the part. The 23-year-old had turned into a huge national TV star playing precocious Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom 'Family Ties,' which began in 1982. By 1985, it was No. 2 in the Nielsen ratings. Advertisement He was made for Marty. But when 'Ties' creator and showrunner Gary David Goldberg was approached by Spielberg and Zemeckis about Fox doing the film, the TV bigwig was firm. 5 Michael J. Fox was a superstar playing Alex P. Keaton on 'Family Ties.' Getty Images 'He said, 'I can't let him do it,'' Fox recalled in a 2001 interview with the Archive of American Television. Advertisement 'And he said, you know, 'Please don't tell Michael — not that I want him to think I did something behind his back, but I really had no other choice.'' So, the Hollywood duo instead went with another 23-year-old — Stoltz. But, talented though he was, the actor struggled with the funny Californian for more than a month of production. 'Eric had such an intensity. He saw drama in things. He wasn't really a comedian, and they needed a comedian,' co-star Lea Thompson said in the book 'We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy.' 'He's super-funny in real life, but he didn't approach his work like that, and they really needed somebody who had those chops.' 5 Stoltz was a terrific actor, but approached the role of Marty too seriously Getty Images Fox diplomatically agrees. 'There's a certain goofiness to [Marty] that I don't think Eric was really ready to embrace,' he said in 2001. Advertisement 'I think there was a silliness to the role that they kind of pictured me for.' Concerned with 'Future''s future, Zemeckis and Spielberg went back to Goldberg, who finally agreed to let his superstar do the project. Now the bad new had to be broken to Stoltz. On Jan. 10, 1985, Zemeckis axed his leading man. Advertisement 'I was a young actor,' Stoltz recalled to Costas. 'It was probably the worst thing that can happen to you in your career.' In a later interview with George Stephanopolous, the 'Forrest Gump' director felt mutually horrible. He also called the sacking 'the worst experience of my career.' 'Eric is a brilliant actor,' Zemeckis added. 'I simply miscast him and I learned a very serious lesson. It's not worth it. It's too painful for everybody. What you have to do is cast the movie the right way and feel really right about it.' Advertisement 5 Eventually the creator of 'Family Ties' allowed Fox to do the movie — while also filming the hit TV show. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection So, Fox was ready to team up with Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown to battle with Biff. But stepping in just a few months before release wasn't so simple. The shift added an estimated $3 to $4 million to the movie's budget. And Fox had to continue filming 'Family Ties' at the same time. Advertisement 'Within a week, I was doing both jobs,' Fox said. 'I would do 'Family Ties' in the daytime and I'd do 'Back to the Future' at night. And I was working 18, 19, 20 hours.' He added: 'By the time 'Back to the Future' came out in the summer of '85, there were whole scenes I can't remember shooting because I was so tired during so much of it.' The long, hard days paid off. What was hardly a surefire hit when filming began became a phenomenon, grossing $385 million worldwide, led to two more movies and even inspired a Broadway musical. 5 Stoltz has enjoyed a long career in Hollywood since the dustup. Getty Images for TCM Stoltz's Hollywood career wasn't over either. He received a 1986 Golden Globe nomination for director Peter Bogdanovich's movie 'Mask.' And he's appeared in films such as 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Jerry Maguire' and 'The Butterfly Effect,' and on TV series including 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Madam Secretary.' Stoltz is also a prolific television director. And since that tough experience, Fox and Stoltz have become unlikely pals. 'It was a wonderful actor — great actor — who since has become a friend of mine and someone I've had a good time with, talking about this turn in our lives and how we both ended up in different places,' Fox said during a 2025 'Back to the Future' panel at the Calgary Expo. 'I've learned a lot about acceptance and perseverance from him. He's a great guy, Eric Stoltz.'
Sky News AU
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Bill Maher torches Sean Penn for Donald Trump meeting hypocrisy: ‘You met with Castro and Hugo Chavez'
Bill Maher torched Sean Penn for criticizing the HBO host's meeting with President Trump – hitting back that the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' actor had no qualms about sitting down with dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. During an episode of Maher's 'Club Random' podcast on Sunday, Penn ridiculed some of Trump's comments, like his threat to annex Canada, as the pair smoked cigars and drank booze. Maher interjected: 'But you do, I hope, think I did the right thing to have dinner with him.' 'Absolutely, you're so smart,' Penn quickly replied. But Penn said he would not accept an invitation to meet with Trump if he received one, and that he wished Maher didn't spend so much time discussing the visit on his show. 'Really, you meet with f****** Castro and Hugo Chavez, but not the president of the United States?' Maher retorted. Maher shared on his show in April that he met with Trump during a dinner at the White House organized by musician Kid Rock, a close Trump ally who performed at the Republican National Convention last year. Penn, a longtime Democratic activist, landed big-name interviews in the early 2000s with Communist leaders Raul Castro and Hugo Chavez. Penn previously said he met with Fidel Castro, though that discussion was not made public. He also traveled to Iran to cover the country's elections in 2005. 'I saw good results come out of some of those things,' Penn replied. 'I just personally wouldn't trust anything that was said in the room [with Trump], including the personality.' Maher dismissed Penn's argument, adding that it's 'not a matter of trusting it.' 'It's like saying, 'I don't want this medical test because I don't want to know.' I want to know,' Maher continued. Penn said he wished Trump's dinner would have been seen 'as less successful.' 'Well it was less successful because I never stopped saying all the things I've always said about him,' Maher argued. 'It would've been successful if he had somehow seduced me into supporting him, so it wasn't successful.' Originally published as Bill Maher torches Sean Penn for Donald Trump meeting hypocrisy: 'You met with Castro and Hugo Chavez'
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Bill Maher torches Sean Penn for Trump meeting hypocrisy: ‘You met with f–king Castro and Hugo Chavez'
Bill Maher torched Sean Penn for criticizing the HBO host's meeting with President Trump – hitting back that the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' actor had no qualms about sitting down with dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. During an episode of Maher's 'Club Random' podcast on Sunday, Penn ridiculed some of Trump's comments, like his threat to annex Canada, as the pair smoked cigars and drank booze. Maher interjected: 'But you do, I hope, think I did the right thing to have dinner with him.' 3 Bill Maher and Sean Penn butted heads over the comedian's meeting with President Trump. YouTube / Club Random Podcast 'Absolutely, you're so smart,' Penn quickly replied. But Penn said he would not accept an invitation to meet with Trump if he received one, and that he wished Maher didn't spend so much time discussing the visit on his show. 'Really, you meet with f—ing Castro and Hugo Chavez, but not the president of the United States?' Maher retorted. Maher shared on his show in April that he met with Trump during a dinner at the White House organized by musician Kid Rock, a close Trump ally who performed at the Republican National Convention last year. Penn, a longtime Democratic activist, landed big-name interviews in the early 2000s with Communist leaders Raul Castro and Hugo Chavez. Penn previously said he met with Fidel Castro, though that discussion was not made public. He also traveled to Iran to cover the country's elections in 2005. 3 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez jokes with actor Sean Penn during his visit in 2012. AFP via Getty Images 'I saw good results come out of some of those things,' Penn replied. 'I just personally wouldn't trust anything that was said in the room [with Trump], including the personality.' Maher dismissed Penn's argument, adding that it's 'not a matter of trusting it.' 'It's like saying, 'I don't want this medical test because I don't want to know.' I want to know,' Maher continued. Penn said he wished Trump's dinner would have been seen 'as less successful.' 3 Bill Maher at a dinner table with President Trump and musician Kid Rock. Real Time with Bill Maher 'Well it was less successful because I never stopped saying all the things I've always said about him,' Maher argued. 'It would've been successful if he had somehow seduced me into supporting him, so it wasn't successful.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Penn shockingly reveals he's never watched a movie starring this Oscar-nominated A-lister
He's not a member of Club Chalamet. Sean Penn recently confessed that he's never seen a Timothee Chalamet movie. 'I see some performances from some young actors where I feel like I should quit and become an accountant because they are so good,' Penn, 64, said during 'The Louis Theroux Podcast.' When Theroux asked the Oscar winner if he was referring to Chalamet, 29, the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' actor confessed, 'I haven't seen that movie yet,' referring to Chalamet's Oscar-nominated performance as Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown.' The 'Milk' star added about Chalamet, who is currently dating Kylie Jenner, 'I haven't seen his movies yet.' Looks like Penn doesn't know about Chalamet's notorious fan account, Club Chalamet. Chalamet's long list of critically acclaimed films also includes 'Little Women,' 'Dune' 'Call Me By Your Name,' 'Interstellar' and 'Wonka.' Penn also lamented what he believes is the decline of the movie star. 'I think the movie star manufacturer ran out around Jennifer Lawrence time or something,' the 'Mystic River' star said. Referring to 'The Hunger Games' star, 34, he added, 'She's probably the last movie star.' In Oct. 2024, Harrison Ford was also asked about the death of the category of 'movie star' 'Oh, I think it's rubbish. I don't think the question is whether or not there are any movie stars. There's wonderful actors coming up every day,' he told GQ at the time. 'Whether or not they become movie stars is really not the point. If movies need stars, they will find them. I've never f—ing understood being a movie star. I'm an actor. I tell stories.' Penn, who notoriously interviewed the drug lord El Chapo, also gushed about Tom Cruise. 'Certain kind of movies people appreciate more than others… but this is a very good actor who is also an incredibly extraordinary craftsman,' Penn told Theroux. 'Those movies don't get made on those level without somebody extraordinary behind them. He's the common link behind many of them. It's no accident. He does his own stunts. He's probably the best stuntman in movie world. He's the most experienced guy.'
