Movies in May: The ‘M’s of Emma in Clueless

Do you love films based on Jane Austen’s work or life, well, then you’ll love our theme this month. Grab your popcorn and a soda! It’s time for Movies in May!

Let’s go back more than 20 years (has it really been that long?) and take a look at the film, Clueless.

 

 

 


Emma and Cher

As we look at movies this month that are based on Jane Austen’s novels, I thought I would look at Clueless, which was released in July, 1995 and based on Jane Austen’s Emma. Last year there were many posts and articles about the film as it celebrated its 20th anniversary. It was written by Amy Heckerling, who decided to base it on the book Emma when she was asked to write a story for teenagers. She took some basic plot elements and characters from Austen’s novel and tweaked them so they would fit into a contemporary story.

I chose this film for several reasons. The first is that it is, of course, a modern film based on Emma. Another reason is that it takes place where I grew up, in the Los Angeles area (as opposed to England, where Emma takes place). No, I did not grow up in Beverly Hills, where Cher Horowitz (the Emma character) lives – as if! – but in the San Fernando Valley, where she and her friends do attend a party. (And yes, that means I am a Valley girl!). Another reason is that Paul Rudd, who plays Josh, the Mr. Knightly character, wears a KU hat in the film. And my son attended KU (Kansas University), as did he. And finally, I recently watched it again with a young gal who loves it, loves Jane Austen, and it was fun to see it through her eyes and her enthusiasm.

There are several similarities and differences in the Austen novel and this movie. I am calling them the ‘M’s of Emma in Clueless.’

Money: ECher's Wardrobemma Woodhouse lives with her father at Hartfield, “a comfortable home” in Highbury, where they are first in consequence. According to Jane Austen, Emma has “very little to distress or vex her.” She is wealthy and never has to worry about money. Cher lives with her father, a litigation attorney, in a large home in Beverly Hills. That location is enough to indicate her wealth, but we also see it in her substantial wardrobe when she is trying to decide what to wear. *Click here to see her clothes spinning by in her rotating closet.)

Matchmaking: Emma thinks she is quite adept at matchmaking after having had a little success at it. Her long-time governess and now friend ends up marrying an older widower. Emma (“had always wished and promoted the match”). In Clueless, Cher conspires and is successful in bringing together two teachers at her high school. These matchmaking successes and self-assuredness make Emma and Cher think they know who (and what) is best for their friends, and do not ever think they are wrong.

Makeovers: Emma takes the young Harriet Smith under her wing. Miss Smith was a parlour-boarder at the nearby Miss Goddard’s school, where she had been a student. Her family background was unknown. She was the “natural daughter of somebody.” In Clueless Emma befriends a new girl to the school, Tai Frazier, and tries to improve her with fashion, hair, and makeup so she will attract a worthy young man instead of the skateboarder Tai prefers.

Mystery: (perhaps a better word would be Secrets, but Mystery serves my purpose better) In Emma we do not find out until the end that Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax had been secretly engaged. He was a young man whose company Emma greatly enjoyed and with whom she often flirted. In Clueless, it is Christian, a new boy to the school who has some secrets Cher is not aware of when she decides he might the one for her, not realizing he is gay.

Manipulation: Emma always has a ready answer to defend her actions or to persuade someoCher and Joshne to see things her way. She is usually successful, except with Mr. Knightly. She talks Harriet out of accepting Mr. Martin’s offer of marriage, and then tries to convince Mr. Knightly she was right in doing so. Cher can talk or argue her way into or out of just about everything (including getting her grades changed). She does fail, however, when it comes to taking her driving test. Both Mr. Knightly and Josh are the only ones who offer any sort of verbal rebuke to these two ladies with the hope they will become a little less self-absorbed and more understanding. Of course, both young ladies take issue with the men when they do.

Misjudgment and Mistakes: While both Emma and Cher have minor success in matchmaking, they make some rather poor judgments in character in their other attempts to bring people together. Emma thinks Harriet can and should set her sights on someone of upper class. In fact, she believes Robert Martin to be beneath her, not recognizing the fact that Harriet is far beneath him. Cher thinks she can turn Tai into someone just like her, despite the fact that she is of lower status. Their misjudgment extends to themselves, as well, as neither Emma nor Cher realizes until the end how wrong they have been about others, and even who that perfect man for them is, and who they have really loved all along.

Maturity (as in Immaturity): Because Cher is still in high school, she is young and immature. She is spoiled and had no mother to guide her. Her father is rarely home and does not take the time to correct her. But Austen’s Emma, who was a few years older in the story, also needed to grow up in many areas. She also had no mother, Mr. Woodhouse was a doting father, and her governess/friend Miss Taylor pretty much let Emma do as she pleased. Emma and Cher are both sincere in their desire to help others, although they don’t always realize that what they want for the person is not necessarily what the person wants or what is best for them. Both ladies have a generous heart, but need some gentle prodding in the right direction to direct them.

Modifications: There are differences between the novel and the movie besides the Regency and modern settings. The relationship between Cher and Josh is slightly different in Clueless, but it serves the purpose well. His mother had been married to Cher’s dad, and although now divorced, he prefers to spend time with her family instead of with his mother and her current husband. Mr. Knightly, of course, was the brother of the gentleman who married Emma’s sister, as well as a good friend of the family and lived nearby. Not all of the characters in Emma are in Clueless, and vice versa. A major exclusion is the Jane Fairfax character. And a few characters in Clueless can be looked at as a combination of several characters in Emma.

My Musings about the Movie: So, what do I think of the movie? It is always fun to watch a movie based on one of Jane Austen’s novels and catch those similarities between the two. I think every time I have seen this film, I notice even more. It is a fun movie that I think transferred over well to a modern story, although I would probably enjoy it a little more if I were younger. As in any modern interpretation of Jane Austen’s novels, liberties are taken to make it correspond to our way of living now. Things were quite different when I went to high school compared to Cher’s high school as it was depicted 20 years ago. (I won’t tell you how long ago I went to high school!) But with all Austen-related films, I feel if it draws someone to seek out Jane’s original novel, I heartily approve.

Cher is a fun character who has to come to some realizations about herself and others, and it is fun watching her stumble her way through life because for the most part she is just a little… clueless.

What did you think of Clueless? Do you have another ‘M’ word that describes any similarities (or differences)?

Cher and Josh HEA

22 comments

Skip to comment form

    • Carole in Canada on May 9, 2016 at 11:20 am
    • Reply

    I enjoyed Clueless when it first came out in 1995 but I haven’t watched it since. I had watched it with my daughter. I believe I own the VHS still! I would have to agree with all your “M’s”! The only other one I one I can come up with is ‘M=Mess’. She certainly made a mess of things!

    1. Yes, she does make a mess of a lot of things! I couldn’t believe it had been over 20 years since it came out! Thanks, Carole!

    • Kristine Shore on May 9, 2016 at 12:02 pm
    • Reply

    I’ve always enjoyed Clueless. Any movie with Paul Rudd is worth a watch.

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 12:32 pm
      • Reply

      Paul Rudd is great, and he hasn’t changed a bit in 20 years! 🙂

  1. I love Clueless! I re-watched it recently and enjoyed every minute. I think it’s a great example of modernizing a classic- really making it your own while leaving the elements of the story intact. I’m also a fan because the movie came out when I was in high school, so I remember a lot of those outfits, cliques, and expressions (though I didn’t grow up in California).

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 12:33 pm
      • Reply

      The fashion in that movie is priceless, or timeless, or something! I love it! Thanks, Melanie!

  2. Clueless has always been one of our family’s favorite films. We have been known to claim, “I totally paused!” when making a California stop. “As if!” comes up quite frequently, too.

    As much as I don’t care for Emma (she gets on my nerves!), the only ways in which I have enjoyed this storyline is via Clueless and in Amanda Grange’s novel Mr. Knightley’s Diary. Other than that, I could do quite well without Emma; she’s my least favorite Austen heroine and one of my least favorite characters in literature. (Bracing for flying tomatoes….)

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 1:42 pm
      • Reply

      I think Emma is quite clueless, and I think the title for the film was brilliant. Don’t worry, I’m not throwing tomatoes, Susanne, as she is down on my list of heroines, as well.

    • Mary Simonsen on May 9, 2016 at 1:33 pm
    • Reply

    I enjoyed Clueless even at my age. I loved Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley, but I have a hard time with Emma no matter who plays her. Even when she does the right thing, it’s for the wrong reasons. Her treatment of Harriet Smith was terrible. It’s like Harriet is Emma’s pet. But as I said, I love Jeremy, and I watch the movie b/c of him and Mr. Elton. Love Alan Cumming.

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 1:45 pm
      • Reply

      Thanks, Mary! It is interesting how the films casting either help or hinder our liking of a character. I prefer the most recent one with Johnny Lee Miller and Romola Garai, but there are actually different aspects of each version I like better than the others.

    • Deborah on May 9, 2016 at 1:37 pm
    • Reply

    This was very interesting. I have never seen Clueless, so I find this interesting and may give it a whirl some time.

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 1:46 pm
      • Reply

      I was hoping someone might say that, Deborah! You’ll have to give it a try!

    • Mary-Kate on May 9, 2016 at 4:02 pm
    • Reply

    “M” for minister? Elton is in both movies, too.

      • Kara Louise on May 10, 2016 at 7:51 am
      • Reply

      And Elton is the only character with the same name in both. 🙂

    • Ann Garland on May 9, 2016 at 4:48 pm
    • Reply

    I have never seen CLUELESS, but I do like Emma. However, Lizzy and Jane are two of my favorite JA female characters (along with Elinor from SENSE AND SENSIBILITY). Jeremy Northam is a wonderful Mr. Knightley.

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 5:01 pm
      • Reply

      You might just give it a try. I can’t guarantee that everyone will like it, but it is a bit more lighthearted than Emma.

    • Ginna on May 9, 2016 at 6:52 pm
    • Reply

    No “M” words, sorry. But I think “Clueless” is an excellent movie, and has some fantastic lines/scenarios. My favorite is Brecken Meyer’s “acceptance speech” for the “award” of being late the most times. I think “Clueless” adapts “Emma” very well, and also does a terrific job at bringing it to a modern times without losing any of the essence of the original.

      • Kara Louise on May 9, 2016 at 7:12 pm
      • Reply

      Ginna, I love that, acceptance speech, as well as Cher’s oral reports in class that get way off topic! It’s a fun and well-adapted modern version of Emma.

    • EvelynTost on May 11, 2016 at 9:47 am
    • Reply

    I have never watched the whole movie Clueless, but will try to watch it soon. But your links did not work for me for the wardrobe, etc. It’s funny that I did always hear about “valley girls”, but I have to tell you that I grew up in the “real” valley of California, the Central Valley and we always felt those valley girls were misnamed. But then the rest of California (besides LA and San Francisco) are different worlds from those places, and many of us have wished over the decades that we could secede from them.

    Anyway, Clueless sounds like fun anyway ( forgive her – teehee), and I will try to watch it soon. Always have caught clips of it, but just somehow never have seen the whole thing.

    • Kara Louise on May 11, 2016 at 4:23 pm
    • Reply

    Sorry you couldn’t see the rotating closet, Evelyn. The link is working for me. Yes, there are lots of valleys in California, even in just the LA area. Funny thing, it was always so smoggy that you couldn’t always see the mountains around you that made it a valley. Loved it on clear days, though!

    • Wendy on May 14, 2016 at 8:36 am
    • Reply

    It’s been so long since I’ve seen “Clueless” that I don’t really remember it. I just reserved it at the public library, and of course there’s no wait for it, so I’ll be watching it again soon.

      • Kara Louise on May 16, 2016 at 2:38 pm
      • Reply

      It had been a long time for me, too, Wendy! Such a fun movie!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.