I Watched Clueless All The Way Through For The First Time, And Wow, What Have I Been Missing Out On?

You know how there are those movies that everyone seems to have seen for years, but you're only just getting around to enjoying them? Yeah, that's how it's been with Clueless for me.

Clueless is probably considered one of the best '90s films, but for some odd reason, I never saw the entire film until now. I'm not sure what led to that – maybe I've been too busy trying to keep up to date with all of the big movies on the 2025 movie schedule, or the amount of other award-winning films out there – but Clueless was a movie I just never got around to.

However, in honor of its thirtieth anniversary (yes, thirty years), I decided to really sit down and give it a go. And wow, I did not expect to love this film as much as I did.

I Always Knew The Movie Was Iconic

Let me preface this by saying that I have always known Clueless is iconic. I have for many years. I've even recommended it to people here when I've discussed the film and how it sometimes appears on our list of the best free movies to watch.

But truthfully, that was always based on the clips I've seen from years past, or how I've sat down to watch it with family and friends, but never fully sat through the film from beginning to end. In those few instances where I saw clips, I really enjoyed the movie.

What led me to think it was already iconic, though, was that it feels like this movie has such a hold on pop culture. There are numerous references from it that we still discuss today. And with that in mind, I knew that if I didn't sit down and physically watch this film from beginning to end, I would never quite understand its greatness.

So I did. And what a doozy it was.

However, I Think I've Officially Joined The Cult

Many movies have shaped who I am as a person. I've talked at length about how much I love the Harry Potter films and how they inspired my passion for fantasy. I've also discussed Legally Blonde and my affection for Reese Witherspoon movies, as they greatly helped me embrace my femininity.

However, I am 99% certain that if I had watched Clueless as a kid, this film would have had just as much of an impact on me.

When I tell you that this movie roped me in so quickly, I mean it. I fell for this story as quickly as I did Penn State football when I stepped on its campus. I became so engrossed in the world of Clueless that I spent hours researching memes, lines, and more, because I loved it so much.

Director Amy Heckerling truly took this movie and made it into the impactful cultural moment it is today, years later, where many people reference it, and it still holds us in its grasp. And now, I am happily a part of it and willing to offer my throat as well. However, there are three distinct reasons why I feel this way.

Alicia Silverstone Is An Absolute Star

The first is that Alicia Silverstone is an absolute star.

I did grow up knowing who Silverstone was, but for years, I never understood why she was such a big name. I had heard about her from my mother, but only from Clueless, and didn't understand why it was such a big deal.

But watching her as Cher solidified that for me. She's so good. This movie should have been the film that set her off on a string of mega-hit successes, much like Legally Blonde did for Reese Witherspoon and The Princess Diaries did for Anne Hathaway.

However, I realized that Clueless is what Alicia Silverstone is really known for, with some minor appearances in TV shows and other movies. And that really shocked me because she should have been as big as some of her co-stars, like Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It’s great that a TV series based on the movie is in the works with her returning.

The Story Is So Ridiculous That I Can't Help But Love It

What also lends Clueless its cult-like status is that the plot is ridiculous, but the fact that it's loosely based on a Jane Austen classic transforms it into something even better.

If you didn't know, Clueless is loosely based on Emma, and the plot follows a teenager who is the most popular girl at school and wishes to perform "good deeds" to improve her life and her place in the world. While she tries to help a new student become popular, she starts to question herself about who she is and what she creates.

For a film with a deeper meaning beneath its surface-level plot, it's amusing, and the way they play with the story is enjoyable. The jokes all land even now, and for me, that's hard to do with a teen movie that often revolves around '90s jokes and references. But it's still fun, and oh my god, the Clueless quotes are endless.

The Fashion Legit Makes Me Want To Reevaluate My Closet

The primary reason I've joined the Clueless cult is that I love the fashion. My god, the Clueless fashion is literally everything I could have asked for and more, and it's so dang good. SO good. I'm in love with literally every aspect of it.

As someone who doesn't consider herself very fashion-forward, it's been my goal over the last year or so to step outside my comfort zone and try new pieces of clothing I wouldn't normally wear. I've done a good job of that, but this movie made me want to do that so much more. It made me want to rethink my wardrobe entirely.

The dresses are fantastic. The combinations are fire. The confidence oozes out of these amazingly-dressed teenagers like sap from the bark of a tree. And it made me want to be more confident in myself. I've never cared about fashion once in my life, and yet, here I am, enjoying the entire closet of Clueless. The costume designer behind this film deserves a raise.

I Really Think This Has Become One Of My Favorite Movies

In terms of my favorite films, Clueless is now up there, which is honestly something I can't say about many movies I decide to watch years after their release.

Often, when I watch a film that everyone has hyped up, it either lives up to expectations or falls dramatically short, mostly the latter. But Clueless lived up to the hype and more.

It’s somewhat remarkable to finally understand what everyone is talking about when they say this was one of the best films of that decade, yet also a movie that defined a generation. I wish we could have something like this for my generation. Now I feel the need to rewatch again, and again - until I recreate that entire closet from Cher.