The film Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma and closely parallels the story in terms of character development and action.

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The film Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma and closely parallels the story in terms of character development and action. Although Emma was written in 1816 and developed ideas and issues of that period in time, 180 years on we can still recognize and identify with the exact same issues. This just proves that despite all the radical social changes that have taken place since Jane Austen's time, people and life haven't really changed all that much. The general life issues of money, love, friendship, class and finding ones place in the world are raised in both texts.

From the very beginning of both movies, we can see the similarities between the two main characters. Emma Woodhouse, the protagonist in Emma, is part of the rich, upscale society of a large and populous village called Highbury, in nineteenth century England; while Cher Horowitz lives in rich, upscale Beverly Hills, U.S.A. In both Clueless and Emma, both of the main characters, Cher and Emma, are spoiled, high-class snobs who are looked upon with admiration and popularity by all. Cher and Emma are among the cultural elite and because of their wealth and class they are spoiled and tend to think too highly of themselves.

Relationships are one of the key issues raised and explored in both texts. One of the relationships explored is that between the daughter and her father. Both Emma and Cher have a close yet out of the ordinary relationship with their father, as each girl is the apple of their fathers' eye and can do no wrong. And both Emma's and Cher's fathers are very generous with not only their love but also their money and constant compliments. But with these compliments and cash comes a certain amount of snobbery and I believe that it is the fathers' over-indulgence in their daughters that has caused this.

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It is here that the real problems of both Cher's and Emma's situations come to light. Both girls have the habit of getting rather too much their own way and a disposition to think a little too highly of themselves. In both movies the girls' mothers died when they were quite young and at first viewing do not have a major part in either movie. But at second glance we can begin to see the root of the fathers over-indulgence. Because of their wealth, Emma and Cher are spoiled, in control socially, and tend to think too highly of themselves. ...

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