Monday, July 13, 2009

Everything Austen Challenge #2

At 1:00 Sunday morning, just as my daughter and I were getting ready to finally turn in for the night, the movie "Clueless," starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd, started. She had never seen it and really wanted to stay up to watch it; I briefly considered it because of the Everything Austen Challenge. Then I looked at the clock and told her "we can rent this anytime."

So today, right after lunch, she was grabbing movies to go back to Hollywood Video so that we could rent "Clueless," which we watched tonight. Her assessment: "It was pretty good." I really watched it this time with an eye an comparing it to "Emma" by Jane Austen. Like Emma Woodhouse, Cher Horowitz is a wealthy, popular young woman who likes to meddle in other people's business and is being raised by a father is very indulgent. Cher, like Emma, is involved in a bit of matchmaking that results in a marriage. The success of that bit of matchmaking leads Cher/Emma to reach out to a new young lady (Harriet in the book, Tai in the movie) with much less success. Ultimately, in both the book and the movie, the latest bit of meddling does lead our heroine to realize that her true love is actually a young man she knows through a marriage in the family and he is the only person who really holds her up to a higher standard. Both the book and this movie adaptation take a pointed look at social status and the ways in which personal biases or desires blind objective judgment.

10 comments:

  1. It's so nice that you were able to watch this one with your daughter!

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  2. I actually watched that move the other night when it came on tv at around 1am. I've always enjoyed the movie and found it to be hilarious and sweet. Like you, I started to watch it this time with the Austen Challenge in mind and could clearly see the connections with the book Emma. I must admit that I began to compare it to Emma (the film version), just because now I was looking at Cher and Tai as Gwyneth and Toni, who are actually, Emma and Harriet. Definitely a fun/clever movie adaptation of Emma!

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  3. one of my favorite movies and only movie i know almost every line to.

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  4. This is so funny as I would have never put this movie and Emma together... I have to really maybe watch it again to get a stronger sense of the "Austeniticity" (you my new fab word!) in Clueless. ; )

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  5. I'm glad you enjoyed "Clueless." When I first watched it back in the 90s I had no idea it was based on "Emma." I was so excited to go back and watch it after I found out. It's a fun movie and the best role Alicia Silverstone has ever done (IMHO)!

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  6. This is a great modernized adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. So well done and fun! Such a fun movie. :)

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  7. You've won my giveaway - stop by this post for details! http://thewrittenword.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/our-first-challenge-winners-sea-monsters/

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  8. One of my high school literature assignments was to read Emma, watch Clueless, and write a comparative essay. It was a great assignment!

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  9. I liked this movie. It does well in capturing the essence of Emma.
    btw: i like that Joseph Conrad quote of the day!

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  10. I still love Clueless to this day! A bff and I went for a girls afternoon to see this in the movies and had lunch.

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