Clueless (1995)

It's proven time and time again that successful teen movies don't talk down to teenagers.  Don't treat them as though they're not intelligent, curious and empathetic.  I know that media has changed since the 90s, but none of the movies I loved as a teenager were condescending. 

Would you really label this film as being aimed at teenagers though?  Perhaps it’s more a film that features teenagers.  It certainly resonates if you watch it as a teenager, especially if you happened to be one in the 1990s.  But while it’s embedded in the decade in which it was made, it manages to be enduring.  Watching it today, I enjoy it just as much.  Granted though, my enjoyment of this film has evolved as the years have gone by.

I eventually attempted to read "Emma", to get a broader sense of the story on which this film is based, but I ended up gradually wandering away from that book until I stopped reading it all together.  It didn't quite grab me.  I was probably not in the right frame of mind to be reading it at the time.

Going back and watching this film decades after seeing it for the first time, it doesn't suffer from seeming dated.  That's not to say that it hasn't dated, but the story is strong enough and timeless enough that it doesn't matter.  If anything, it hams up its 90s-ness so much that the more dated it is, the more I enjoy it.

Final Thought: Let's not talk about the TV series.

Up Next:  Con Air (1997)

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

 
Can't Hardly Wait was a staple of my high school movie nights.  I can remember watching it for the first time at a sleepover, never having heard of it before.  My friends and I spent the following two years quoting it to each other at every opportunity, and playing the soundtrack at any party we hosted.  We bonded over this movie more than many other things in the time we were in high school.

More than a decade later, this film is still just as fresh in my mind.

The thing is, I'm not quite sure how to explain why this film in particular rose above all the similarly themed movies of my teenage years.  Perhaps it's that the characters are almost caricatures of the stereotypes they represent.  Almost.  They toe that line, so they still seem like real people, which means that the film doesn't get unbearable.

In my opinion, this was the best high school party movie of the 90s crop, and frankly, I've yet to see a movie made since that can stand up to it.

Final Thought:  I HAVE NO LEGS!!!

Up Next:  Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)   

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

Buffy is bangin'.  

This used to be my definition of a scary movie, back when I was having sleep overs in primary school.  Now, I'd almost call it a comfort movie, like a bowl of pasta.  It's interesting to go back and pick out early examples of Joss Whedon's humour.  I wonder how the film would have turned out, had he been able to guide it in the way he wanted.

Though I'm a loyal fan of the TV series, Kristy Swanson was actually really good as Buffy.  She strikes a good balance between light-hearted vapid and taking her fate seriously.  And her martial arts is passable.  Luke Perry's, however, is not.  And Rutger Hauer's violin playing is awful.


Tell you what, if their movie depictions are anything to go by, cheerleaders sure have changed since the 90s.

Final Thought:  Not everyone agrees with me, but Paul Reubens' death scene is one of the best things to ever happen in a movie.

Up Next:  A Bug's Life (1998)

Brick (2005)

A teen movie playing at cinema noir?  Donnie Darko playing at detective?  What saves this film for me is that, despite the dark subject matter, it has the occasional moment that reminds you that these are, after all, kids.  This is an interesting film to watch immediately after having seen The Breakfast Club, I will say that.  Rian Johnson is a bleak director, yeesh.

Final Thought:  I'm left unsure of what to say after this film.  You use half of your attention to translate their language, and the other half to keep track of the plot, so by the end of it you're a bit tired.

Up Next:  Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

 Not many of the high school set films made at the moment will still be relevant in 30 years.  Not many teen films come close to those of John Hughes.  

I think the difference is that this film doesn't try too hard.  A run through the school, a dance around the library... it doesn't need to be extreme.  It's about who the kids are and how they get to know each other.  Why they behave the way they do, why they conform to the stereotypes they've adopted.  It's about understanding them, which I feel is why this film is such a classic, and why it resounds for so many people.  Teenagers want to be understood, and this film takes the time to do that.  

The scene where the characters tell why they are in detention is famous for being unscripted, yet it's so moving and provoking.  By trusting them to ad-lib that scene, Hughes caught something raw and honest, which is so often missing amidst the hijinks and extremes employed by most teen films.  And Hughes shows that the great mistake Mr Vernon makes is in demanding respect without giving it to these kids, and not even attempting to understand them.

Every time I watch this film, I am once again surprised by how good it is.

Final Thought:  If you're going to call them The Breakfast Club, at least reference it at some point in the film before the final line...

Up Next:  Brick (2005)