Trailer Time Capsule: Clueless

A semi-regular NMS feature examining “classic” movies trailers, through the magic of YouTube, with a keen eye towards whether the initial marketing message was prophetic or disconnected to the film’s ultimate pop cultural legacy.

Clueless (1995):

In 1995, director Amy Heckerling turned out her second cult favorite and quintessential high school satire, Clueless.  Moreso than her previous effort, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless was wildly successful at the box office, grossing $56,631,572 domestically and inspiring new fashion trends and teen lingo worldwide.  In 1996, the film spawned a spin-off television series (which generally isn’t nearly as high regarded as the movie), but until now, it has yet to spawn a sequel.

Starting in February of 2009, rumors began to swirl on the web that a sequel to the film was in the works, generated by a promising statement made by Alicia Silverstone, the star of the original, in an interview with UK talk show host Graham Norton.  Buzz swelled in April when sources claimed that Silverstone and Heckerling were spotted shopping in California, reportedly talking about the script for the sequel. 

As a child of the 90’s, I couldn’t be more thrilled about this news, and in my excitement, I decided it was time for another viewing of the original Clueless trailer.  At first the trailer may seem like any other teen comedy trailer, glossing over the highlights of teens’ lives in the two-and-a-half-minute preview: school, parties, shopping etc.. But when given a closer look, it actually portrays why the film was not only a hit, but why fourteen years later,  it still retains a fan base that salivates over even a rumor of a sequel.

The primary thing to note from watching the trailer for Clueless is that it features few details of the linear plot.  Sure we know that the heroine is a pampered princess from Beverly Hills with a rich father and an equally privileged best friend.  However, after watching the movie, you realize that the trailer did not really provide a clue to the two main plot points; Cher’s romance with Paul Rudd’s character and her mentoring-based friendship with Brittany Murphy’s character.  When dissecting the footage, you’ll notice that Rudd is only featured once (briefly) and while Murphy makes several appearances, there’s really no clues as to her role in the story.  Contrast this trailer to ones from supposedly similar teen comedies, like She’s All That or 10 Things I Hate About You –   you’ll notice that there is normally a voiceover giving you an overview of the plot, an introduction to the characters and a synopsis of where they fit into the concept – the story structure is obvious.

The Clueless trailer focuses much more on style and tone. Note how the outrageous and over-the-top stereotypical dialogue and characters are so central to the clip. The opening of the preview is a monologue by Silverstone comparing Haitian and American relations to a garden party thrown by her father. Then, when Murphy’s character comments that Cher and her friends all “talk like grown ups,” without missing a beat, Silverstone’s deadly serious response is: “Well, this is a really good school.”  The trailer goes on to feature more Beverly Hill’s mainstays; cell phones at school, designer labels, luxury cars and a computerized closet.  At first watch, the real giveaway of the film’s mature and biting humor comes at the end when Stacy Dash’s character responds to Elisa Donovan’s worries about a certain PE activity with “well there goes your social life.”  It all helps reveal that, at its heart, Clueless is a pop culture satire and a character study of mid-90’s stereotypes.

Sure the clip includes enough parties and boys to appeal to the teeny boppers (confession: I was only 10 when Clueless came out and really just wanted to see it for all the high school glitz and glam on the big screen), but by subtly conveying the satirical nature of the film, they bridged the gap to a more intelligent demographic.  It’s no wonder that even a hint of a sequel (let’s be honest, an “overheard conversation” isn’t exactly hard fact) sets the blogosphere abuzz 14 years after the original.  I am confident that if the rumors are true, with Hecklerling and Silverstone at the helm, we’re sure to get an equally intelligent look into the teens of the new millennium… isn’t that scary.