Moving and work monopolized my July; as such, the book count was low.
recent reads
I re-read As If! The Oral History of Clueless as Told by Amy Heckerling, the Cast, and the Crew after I spotted a Brittany Murphy tribute Thread from one Miss Troy Jean Spears. I cracked it during a Saturday morning and wrapped it by the end of the weekend. It is just an enjoyable read about an iconic piece of popular culture that I simply did not want to put it down.
I loved reading about the making of the movie from the perspectives of the director, Amy Heckerling (of Fast Time at Ridgemont High fame, amongst others) and associate producer and cast member, Twink Caplan (justice for Twink’s full on producer credit). The casting process was especially fun to read about; everyone who ended up being anyone was considered for the project. So many of the cast members who broke out thanks to Clueless, are now legends: Donald Faison, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy.
The book touches on how the movie was quite progressive for its time thanks to the inclusion of characters who were minorities in terms of race and sexual orientation, which is a point that I never even considered before it was presented in this book. The inclusion was just so naturally and beautifully done. In addition to the inclusion, the book discusses how Clueless is also a feminist tale, which again is something that I never caught on to in my initial viewings of the movie.
Anyone who enjoyed Clueless should read this first-hand account of the making and the aftermath of the 90s classic.
past good reads
