In the mid-1990s,
teen movies
They were dominated by intense dramas, tragic romances, and rebellious characters. Although many were stereotypical and tended to repeat patterns, there was still room for novelty and laughter. Indeed, it was in this context that arose
The Beverly Hills Girls
,
a such iconic romantic comedy
which will never go out of fashion.
Written and directed by
Amy Heckerling
, is a free adaptation of
Emma
where is the universe situated
Jane Austen
In the superficial and sophisticated world of a school in Beverly Hills. It arrived as a trivial movie that, over the years, ended up becoming one of the most influential works of its generation.
Everything starts with
Dear
(
Alicia Silverstone
) e
Dionne
(
Stacey Dash
), two of the most popular girls in school. Their main concern is to wear the most attractive clothes and keep their status as high as possible, but complications begin to arise.
Perhaps the key to success lies in the tone, after all, instead of mocking the characters, “The Clique” exposes their superficiality in a way that is not hard to get used to. The film chooses ironic humor without falling into cynicism, and its portrayal of adolescence is not based on generational conflicts or social drama, but on something even more universal: the desire to find one’s place in the world, with humor, setbacks, and, by the way, impeccable style.
E 30 years after its release, it continues to be a living icon of pop culture, both for its freshness and for having captured an era with more intelligence than many were willing to admit at the time.
Good taste lies in simplicity.
Although it may seem like a fashion show, full of clichés and overprivileged teenagers, behind the facade of Beverly Hills 90210 lies an highly effective social satire. And you don’t need to look very far to find it.
Amy Heckerling not only managed to reposition Austen’s narrative in Beverly Hills, but also created a very conscious portrayal of 90s narcissism, with a feminine sensitivity still notably absent from the cinema of that time. The director’s perspective was sophisticated, accessible, critical, and never condescending.
In other words, Beverly Hills 90210 is much more than
a funny comedy
It’s a story about people who want to improve, and they don’t do it just because of external pressure. And this is one of the reasons why her arc works so well. Cher doesn’t change to make a guy like her or fit in; she does it because she realizes her view of the world was very limited, and this kind of evolution is more genuine and powerful than what we see in many more artificial romantic comedies.
Just like
Bad Girls
e
Legally Blonde
, the film eventually became very influential for its aesthetics, visual language and way of portraying the insecurities of teenagers. It was one of the first to allow a female protagonist to be silly without being looked down upon, and had a lot of emotional intelligence for what we were used to seeing at the time.
The Beverly Hills Girls
It is on the Prime Video premium subscription and Telecine (via Globoplay).
Read the article at radarsantri.com
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