ABSTRACT

The development and production of Clueless encapsulate many aspects of Hollywood in the 1990s. This chapter provides an overview of the film's development, production, release and initial reception for understanding the relationships between Clueless and youth cinema, comedy, girl culture and media franchises. Amy Heckerling is significant as a female writer and director in an industry in which few women are employed in major production roles. Heckerling's career developed in a period in which the impact of feminism in Hollywood was reflected in an increase in female directors, particularly in the genres of comedy and teen film. The film's circuitous path to production provides insight into experiences common to many film directors, encapsulating the complexity of the relationship between the writer-director and the contemporary studio system. Clueless faced the obstacle of Hollywood's resistance to teen films in a period in which the latter had declined in quantity and financial performance.