Formative Performances: Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless”

[The following is a guest post from abovethetitle.]

Bandwagoning on Lady T’s praises for Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, the mid-’90s saw another adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic tale, updated to then-contemporary Beverly Hills. Maybe it’s silly. Maybe it’s fluff. But this comedy influenced fashion, had its dialogue peppered into everyday teen speak and made a household name of my choice for today – Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless.” Amy Heckerling’s razor smart comedy took Austen’s most prominent themes and applied them to the story of a spoiled rich girl navigating her way through her high school’s caste system. How can you hate on a screenplay that managed to make Austen hip, happening and also just downright funny? What? You think this list would be complete without a Cher Horowitz shout out? AS IF!