Clueless

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Effervescent, unflappable, supremely pleased with herself, Cher (delightfully played by the much-publicized Alicia Silverstone) is the comic centerpiece of Clueless, a wickedly funny teen-age farce from writer-director Amy Heckerling that, like its heroine, turns out to have more to it than anyone could anticipate. [19 July 1995]

Washington Post Joe Brown

Crammed with pop-culture references to everything from cellular phones to skateboarding to Starbucks..., Heckerling's script has even more and better teenspeak lines than "Heathers."

Variety Brian Lowry

A fresh, disarmingly bright and at times explosively funny comedy well worth a trip to the mall, even if it eventually runs out of gas.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A smart and funny movie, and the characters are in on the joke.

Newsweek John Leland

The summer's most compelling movie about teenagers.

TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)

Impossible to dislike: It's as good-hearted as its bubbly protagonist.

The New Yorker Bruce Diones

With its charming performances, bubble-gum colors, and intentionally funny product placements, the movie is like a kiss in a candy store—silly and sweet.

Washington Post Hal Hinson

Ultimately, [Heckerling's] portrait is affectionate and, in places, even sweet, enabling us to laugh at them and embrace them at the same time.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Even if Clueless runs out of gas before it's over, most of it is as eye-catching and cheery as its star. [19 July 1995]

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

The film bobs along like a designer balloon, pumped with wry observations on Marky Mark and Mentos ads. But none of the other cartoonish characters command like twinkly Silverstone.

Chicago Tribune John Petrakis

Clueless is no "Fast Times" when it comes to character development or the merging of comedy and drama, and it might have worked better if it had been more story-oriented and plot-centered. But thanks to Heckerling's spirited direction and cutting-edge script, it is, "like . . . majorly and furiously golden." [19 July 1995]

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

Though the dialogue is laced with the colloquial, the film has an inviting tone that even stuffiest of old fogies may find refreshing. Everybody gets put down, but with affection.

Time Richard Corliss

It's like a restaurant where you go for the food and go back for the atmosphere. Or for the waitress. [13 July 1995]

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

OK, the plot is inane, Val-gal-speak is a clichT, and Heckerling was more incisive covering similar hormonal ground 13 years ago in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." But there's still wicked good fun to be had.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The cinematic equivalent of cotton candy: certainly not unpleasant, but not especially satisfying despite the sweet taste.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Though this drifts at times as storytelling, it's mainly lightweight but personable fun.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

There are funny bits in Amy Heckerling's high school sat-ire, but the characters are teen-movie zombies with no discernible personality apart from their trendoid obsessions.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

For a while, it's like really cool, with lots of energy and stuff, but then it gets like major repetitious, and you wish it was like over, y'know? As if!

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Michael Lehmann's "Heathers" followed the same sort of story line to much better effect in 1989, and Clueless leaves you itching to race over to the video store in search of just that.