Clueless (1995)
Was she a spiritual guru or a makeover expert? A child intellectual protege or a teenager immersed in pop lingo? A matchmaker worthy of Emma or a lonely child finding joy in the happiness of others? She could be all of them or she could be none of them?
Cher, (Alicia Silversone) embodied the high school "it" girl, the one we either all wanted to date or all wanted to be. She was smart, cool, and confident. Yet like all of us, she was utterly clueless! With a screenplay that builds on Jane Austen’s Emma and borrows from Shakespeare, Clueless ushered in a new era of smarter and more analytical characters as well as plots and themes that deal with the confusion and complexities of teenage life.
Clueless has truly left its mark. And lately, the youth has been craving for intelligent films about their own insecurities, fears, hopes, and dreams.
Scream (1996)
"What’s your favorite scary movie?" Suddenly, there’s a whole lot more to choose from. Since Scream premiered in 1996 we’ve seen tons of teenage-horror flicks that have ranged from pretty good (I Know What You Did Last Summer) to the I-can’t-believe-they-made-me-pay-to-watch-that-piece film Disturbing Behavior.
The fascination between teenage life and the horror genre was always a staple such as in Halloween, Prom Night, Nightmare on Elm Street. It was only in the early "90s that horror films didn’t quite capture the youth’s essence. Until Scream came along.
Divorce, drug addiction, and violence - these are the real horror stories of today. This, combined with more self-aware heroes and heroines have created a less stylized and more realistic feel that have come to define the teenage-horror films of our generation.
American Pie (2000)
And one time - at band camp? The now popular story revolves around a group of high-school boys who make a deal that they would all lose their virginity before they graduate. Lust, new love, first love, and true love, all four were represented in the familiar stories of boy-girl relationships we’ve either experienced or almost experienced. The success of teenage films depends largely on a fickle-minded and trend-obsessed teenage market where often the treatment, and not the story itself is the key. In American Pie , the stories are rather common but the elements that made a difference were its edginess and unconventional scenes. It’s hard to believe now (after Road Trip and Scary Movie) but when the film was released, we were shocked (he stuck it in the pie!), taken aback (the foreign chick just went right at it!) and entertained (joining the choir for a chick) by the film’s language, sexiness, and (toilet) humor.
It was in striking that balance that American Pie became successful and not (contrary to popular belief) through sex jokes (regrettably brought back to popular consciousness). But like any successful film, its popular elements were adapted and replicated for an audience craving for it. Says something about our generation, huh?