Law reVIEW: Clueless
Law reVIEW is a blog series dedicated to investigating and reviewing both popular and documentary films in the Chastek Library film collection.
CLUELESS (1995)
CLUELESS (1995)
A movie known for its iconic fashion and seemingly airheaded
dialog, Clueless is a movie that transformed a generation. Writer-Director
Amy Heckerling maintains that her 1995 movie Clueless is a modern
depiction of Jane Austen’s Emma, a coming of age story about navigating
the trenches of gossip, love and social hierarchy.
The movie opens with protagonist Cher Horowitz using groundbreaking
technology to scan through her massive closet in order to find the perfect
outfit. The camera then pans down the stairs of the Horowitz’s mansion where we
are introduced to Cher’s father Mel (a litigator with high cholesterol). Cher
describes litigators as “the scariest kinds of lawyers” and goes on to explain
that “Daddy’s so good, he gets $500.00 an hour to fight with people…” Growing
up with a litigator as a father, Cher is no stranger to the argument. In fact, Mel
has taught Cher that she can argue her way out of any problem.
Early in the movie we are introduced to Cher’s argumentative
style. In one of the opening scenes, Cher gets behind the wheel of her iconic Jeep
and drives (without a license) to her friend Dionne’s house. After a collision
with a fire hydrant, Cher protests that the fire hydrant “came out of nowhere”
and goes on to argue that she “totally paused” after failing to stop at a stop
sign. However, Cher’s persuasive argument style comes into sharper focus during
her infamous oral argument in Mr. Hall’s debate class:
Cher: “So OK, like right now, for
example, the Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, “What
about the strain on our resources?” But it’s like, when I had this garden party
for my father’s birthday, right? I said RSVP because it was a sit-down dinner.
But people came that, like, did not RSVP. So I was like, totally buggin. I had
to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, squish in extra place
settings. But, by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier! And
so, if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we
could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion, may I please remind
you that it does not say “RSVP” on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much.”
Structuring her argument around the perceived lack of
resources needed to house refugees and the added effort it takes to accommodate
party guests who do not RSVP, Cher opens her argument by telling a detailed
story while using a figurative analogy. By using this analogy Cher shows an
awareness of her audience and begins to anchor her argument. In her concluding
sentence, Cher makes an equity and policy argument when she proclaims that “it
does not say RSVP on the statue of liberty,” arguing that equity is the intent
of immigration policy.
Although the structure of her argument is sound, Cher makes the
mistake of using too many colloquialisms like, “totally buggin” and “haul ass”.
Additionally, Cher creates a less than favorable impression with Mr. Hall by
using distracting hand gestures and twirling her gum after the closing of her
argument. Mr. Hall comments that Cher’s
arguments are not structured or well researched and gives her a “C” in debate.
Determined to argue her way out of her low grades, Cher shows
a cunning awareness of her audience by adjusting her argument style to appeal
to the various sensitivities of her teachers. For instance, Cher promises her
environmentally conscious teacher that she will write letters to her
congressman about the clean air act and tells her female Physical Education
teacher that an evil man broke her heart. Cher ultimately persuades Mr. Hall to
raise her grade after playing matchmaker and setting him up with his future
wife, Mrs. Geist. Cher is able to argue her way from a “C”, to and “A-“and
Cher’s father "couldn't be happier if they were based on real grades”.
Chastek Library Location: DVD C59 - First Floor DVD Collection
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If you want to learn to argue like Cher Horowitz, or if you
need to brush up on your mooting and persuasive writing skills, check out these
books from the Chastek Library:
