We’re about to go postal! “Clueless” is officially 30 years old.
The hit rom-com starring Alicia Silverstone as fashionista Cher Horowitz, Paul Rudd as Josh, Stacey Dash as Dionne and Brittany Murphy as Tai, came out three decades ago on July 19, 1995.
In the 30 years since its release, the movie’s cultural legacy has only grown stronger. Its slang has become part of the cultural lexicon and its characters are a popular choice for duo Halloween costumes. Many celebrities have dressed up as Cher and Dionne as well, such as Kim Kardashian and her daughter North West, Iggy Azalea and Sabrina Carpenter.
But when Silverstone visited to TODAY in 1995, when she was about 19 years old, she had no idea about the impact “Clueless” and Cher would have.
During her chat on TODAY, Silverstone said she disagreed with the movie’s title. She never saw Cher as clueless, even though her character did say some head-scratching things.
“The title is the one thing that throws me off because I think that Cher is a very intelligent character and the whole film is so intelligent. That title is sort of a joke, because the characters are so defined and so well-rounded that they really aren’t clueless,” she said.
In “Clueless,” an adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” Cher tries to play matchmaker for the people around her. Or, if she sees someone in need of a social boost, she’ll step in with a makeover.
Cher spoke in a type of Valley Girl dialect that confounded some theatergoers. But in her world, her words made perfect sense. The only way to really catch on to what she’s saying is to see the way she uses the term.
Speaking to TODAY, Silverstone explained where some of Cher’s words originated.
Cher calls her stepbrother, Josh, a “Baldwin” after she realizes that he’s kind of attractive.
“A Baldwin is the hottest guy there is,” Silverstone explained on TODAY.
As for why she refers to Taiโs uncool skater friends as Barneys? “Barney, that’s actually originally from ‘The Flintstones,'” Silverstone said.
Cherโs nickname for her mom, Betty, is also from โThe Flintstones,โ Silverstone said โย but more positive and meant to express her natural beauty.
Cher also uses a piece of slang that took off in the ’90s: “Going postal.” Silverstone explained on TODAY that โpostalโ means โcrazy.โ
โโPostalโ is a great word,โ she laughed. “(It means) she goes absolutely out of her mind, crazy.”
On TODAY, Silverstone said she was “nervous” to start in “Clueless,” which was her first comedy.
โI thought, โIโm not funny. I canโt do that,โ but when I finally got into it and realized that Cher was not just superficial and shallow, sheโs a really lovable, compassionate, happy girl, it made it all seem perfect,โ Silverstone said.
