See, this is how I like my Jane Austen: looking nothing like Jane Austen. There is an argument to be made that this film represents the pinnacle, the zenith, the high water mark of American culture. The amazing script by writer and director Amy Heckerling, with its gentle, loving skewering of California Culture (and by extension the greater American milieu that took its cues from the Golden State), simply bursts with clever lines and visual jokes that mock yet also admire the relative innocence of the country circa 1995, back before everything here began to turn to madness. The translation of that script into greatness is powered mostly by an astonishing, one of a kind performance by Alicia Silverstone as Cher; she is the perfect embodiment of everything that was shallow yet wholesome about the country back in those long gone days. Cast mates Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, the dearly-missed Brittany Murphy, Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison, Dan Hedaya, and more provide note perfect accompaniment to Silverstone's tour de force. And a terrific soundtrack of perfectly chosen songs sets the mood all the way through this journey of laughs and delights. Without a doubt, this is a Best of All work, and is only not included in the Top 10 of all time simply because there are just too many great movies to fit within that numerical framing, but this flick stands behind few other works of cinema, especially as regards comedies. Is it even possible to call oneself a movie fan if you’ve never seen this masterpiece? As if!
