RENT THIS WEEKEND: CLUELESS

An example of sarcastic and witty comedy using outside knowledge to create a community is the adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma as a film: Clueless. Dripping with irony, the entire film has a sarcastic tone, though the characters may not speak sarcastically. While on the surface this film seems to be just a teen comedy loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel, but it actually defines a generation.

Through its pop culture references (using a slang-driven language) and its exaggerated storyline (Cher is comedically held up at gunpoint and then ends up romantically entangled with her stepbrother), the film uses its style to reach out to a generation. Though the Jane Austen references are mostly in the characters and plot, there will be a group of viewers who form a community based on understanding these references.

However, most of the other viewers will form a different community. This community will be based on the generational aspects and pop culture references that require inside knowledge to fully understand. Through the language (i.e. slang: “That’s like so five years ago,” “Check it,” and “As If!”), the clothing (bare midriffs, platform shoes, the 90’s Seattle grunge look), and the music (“Rolling With My Homies” by Coolio, references to Nine Inch Nails and The Cranberries), this film creates an in-crowd feel because some viewers (older generations) will not understand these references. Sitting and watching this film with my parents a few years ago ended up being a futile effort since I found a deep connection to it and laughed consistently, but they didn’t. They are not of the generation who would appreciate this mix of literary history, pop culture, and generational nostalgia. The film thus creates a generation-specific community. The message here is about understanding and participating in your generation’s community through understanding inside jokes and references. Each generation will have a defining style and Clueless epitomizes this. Best of all, the film reminds us that it is okay to stand-alone as a generation and rebel from the previous generations, a requirement for society to progress.