Artist Clueless

The mid-’90s Jane Austen adaptation craze hit its peak when writer-director Amy Heckerling turned Austen’s Emma into a frothy high-school romance, casting Alicia Silverstone as a privileged teen playing matchmaker for her Beverly Hills buds. In the hands of a lazier director, it could have been patronizing or insulting. But Heckerling not only gave her characters (especially Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz) unexpected depth, she also created teenagers who actually talked and looked like teenagers. It helps that she harnessed a stellar cast, from Dan Hedaya as Cher’s father down to then-unknowns like Paul Rudd and Brittany Murphy. It’s a smart, engaging little movie with enough heart to prove that “teen comedy” doesn’t always have to mean “lowest common denominator.”

Updated 07/13/2010