Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

As if!

Writer/director Amy Heckerling has been pretty hit or miss since her 1982 debut, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. After the crapfest that was Look Who's Talking Too, Heckerling went back to high school and redeemed her '90s resume with Clueless.

Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, a Beverly Hills brat with a conscious and a kick-ass wardrobe. Privileged life aside, this one manages to capture '90s teen life to a tee. Apparently in my memories, I am a much better dresser. That said, it has the fashions, a pre-Apatow Paul Rudd, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and a ton of great one-liners.

Heckerling used the 1815 Jane Austen novel Emma to inspire this teen comedy, as well as the careers of Silverstone, Rudd, Brittany Murphy and Stacey Dash. The film even spawned its own Clueless speak. (Dan Hedaya as Cher's dad does deliver some of the film's the best lines, though.)

Silverstone is the real star, though. Despite Rudd and Murphy going on to much bigger and better things, Clueless was actually carried by the chick from the Aerosmith videos. Go figure. Heckerling deserves a lot of credit as well, since she also wrote the script. With Fast Times in the '80s and Clueless for the '90s, she seems due for another teen-inspired hit. She can poke fun like no one else, in a very loving way.

The Picture

Cher wouldn't be caught dead looking drab. Thankfully, Paramount spruced her up for this 1.85:1 transfer. It's got some grain, but is an otherwise clean transfer, with some great overall detail. Cher's outfits show off a lot of texture and believe it or not, there are plenty of flyaway hairs, pores of other facial imperfections (whatever!). The real gem, though, is this release's color; it's pretty awesome. The '90s fashions, cars and the Beverly Hills backdrop all offer up a lot of pop.

The Sound

The DTS-HD Master Audio track isn't as awesome, but it's fairly predictable for a comedy of this caliber. Dialogue sounds great, but there's very little else going on in the surrounds. The only time this 5.1 track perks up is during the freeway scene and when the very '90s soundtrack rocks out.

The Extras

Paramount hasn't improved much on this film's extras, as most have been ported over from 2005's "Whatever! Edition" DVD. There's no commentary, no updated "where are they now" featurette, no mention of the TV show, and no MTV promos. In other words, there are plenty of possibilities left for a 20th or 25th anniversary release. The "Clue or False Trivia Game" is a pop-up trivia track, and the only new item on this release.

Final Thoughts

You know how picky I am about my shoes, and they only go on my feet.

I have a confession to make: I love Clueless. It's one of those films that I can't seem to pass by when it's playing on TV. That said, seeing it on Blu-ray made the whole thing as fresh as plaid miniskirts and over-the-knee socks. Thankfully, Paramount was not clueless here; they did a nice job with this release.

Product Details

• Actors: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Dan Hedaya
• Director: Amy Heckerling
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (French, Spanish, Portuguese)
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: May 1, 2012
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• List Price: $22.99
• Extras:
  • Clue or False Trivia Game
  • The Class of '95
  • Creative Writing
  • Fashion 101
  • Language Arts
  • Suck 'N Blow: A Tutorial
  • Driver's Ed
  • We're History
  • Trailers