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 'I'm proud of its wonderful teens': Amy Heckerling on how Clueless revolutionised the high-school comedy

The Jane Austen-hits-LA comedy changed fashion, language and cinema. As it turns 30 and a new stage musical version opens, its writer and director discusses why it's so personal to her.
Back in 1995, Clueless offered a cheeky update of Jane Austen's Emma in a Los Angeles high school and, without even seeming to try, revolutionised how we dress and talk. Tartan and preppy chic are still huge (note the blazer and mini-skirt wore by Taylor Swift in London last August, or the pop star's yellow-and-black combo at an MTV awards do in September). Meanwhile, "As if!", the catchphrase of its heroine Cher, which originated as a piece of Californian slang, has become ubiquitous. Will you be spared the phrase in this article? As if!

Because the film is brightly coloured and revolves around teenage girls, some critics at the time undersold the sharpness of its satire, which targets (among other things) white, west coast privilege, the plastic surgery industry, celebrity do-gooding, taboos surrounding menstruation, the cruelly low wages of teachers, and the kind of Nietzsche-reading liberal male who feels compelled to grow a goatee. 

The popularity of Clueless triggered a rash of insouciantly smart high-school-meets-classic literature movies (including 10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions, and Easy A, to name but a few). Just as importantly, it started a trend for films and TV shows that focussed on friendships between teenage girls. Thanks not only to the script but also a flawless cast and tip-top soundtrack (so much Radiohead), audiences of all ages found themselves rooting for salty protagonists, Cher, Dionne and Tai, who dominate the proceedings in a way that hadn't been seen before in a mainstream US film. Yes, there's a rom-com element to the plot, but it's the tensions between the girls that generate the most heat. Cher's complex interactions with Dionne and Tai paved the way for Buffy and Willow's textured relationship in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also, not to be bitchy, but without Clueless there'd be no Mean Girls. And Olivia Wilde cited it as an inspiration for her riotous directing debut, Booksmart, itself a modern teen movie classic.