'Clueless'

I'm happy that Clueless made the 1,001 list because I think it's a highly underrated film and one that was unfairly pigeonholed as a film about spoiled teenagers in Beverly Hills that grow souls.

This is not right.

Clueless is intelligently written and done. It's directed by Amy Heckerling, who also directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High. If anyone knows about the attitudes of teenagers, it's her.

The fact is, the main characters of Clueless -- Cher and Dionne -- are not completely ignorant, shallow and spoiled children, unaware of their environment and how they impact it. In fact, these two are incredibly aware, giving and unselfish.

Consider this, they're only 15. The fact that Dionne in real life is like 30 and Alicia Silverstone pulls off a 21 vibe, they are both trying to get their licenses so that makes them 15 years old.

Tell me, what were you like at 15? I would generally argue that the base attitudes of a 15 year old in Beverly Hills or the hills of the Appalachian Mountains are generally the same: They know everything, don't try to tell them otherwise and get them what they want, now.

However, Cher and Dionne are not like this. Yes, they are ditsy, spoiled only because they've known one way of life -- but this can be explained by the fact that they are 15. Their world purviews are short and distorted.

Both are good people. Cher is a virgin, waiting for the perfect man to have sex with. Both try to expand their vocabulary by working in one new word everyday.

Cher works to keep her father healthy and takes on a motherly role, especially due to her own mother being deceased. It seems stereotypical and shallow, but the fact that they take the new kid, Tai. They call her a project. However, they're actually doing her more good by making her a "project" in the hyper-critical world of a Beverly Hills high school.

For 15 year olds, Cher and Dionne are actually very good people.

The soundtrack is fucking awesome (Radiohead, Supergrass, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, David Bowie, Luscious Jackson).

I also want to comment on Alicia Silverstone. At the time of the release of this film, she was my all-time, No. 1 babe in the history of females. I've moved on, but I stand by my obsession of the time. Some of those dresses she wears in Clueless make her a total knockout. I can't believe my pants stayed on the whole time. This was also during the time she was on the Aerosmith videos.

I would have never thought she'd have the least successful career out of Donald Faison, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Sisto and Breckin Meyer.