**Truly one of the finest teen movies around.** Teen films often end up being pretty awful. There have been times I’ve really gone after them, and generally speaking, it's a genre I dislike because of its silliness. However, this comedy about privileged young women is an exception—a film aimed at teenagers that manages to be both well-made and sophisticated while also offering satire, a sharp critique of the materialism and consumerism among wealthy teens. Amy Heckerling came up with a clever idea: updating Jane Austen’s “Emma” for modern audiences. Anything from that author is practically guaranteed to be worthwhile, and when it's handled well, it usually produces good results. And indeed, the heart of the book is present here: a spoiled and shallow girl who learns about life, finds real love, and discovers genuine kindness and selflessness. That’s the transformation we witness in Cher, the blonde and energetic protagonist. She lives with her father, an attorney who doesn't seem to pay much attention to his daughter but actually has his own way of showing he cares. And it’s at school, within the complicated world of teens obsessed with popularity, that Cher spends most of her time. Wealthy and beautiful, she easily assumes a leadership role in this very elitist and prejudiced social circle—the teenage universe. And she doesn't hesitate to use her position to try to improve things. This is arguably the highlight of Alicia Silverstone’s career. She has continued acting afterward and remains known and respected, but truthfully, her career hasn’t seen such significant or memorable successes since then. She portrayed Cher with so much sincerity and authenticity that it became difficult to separate the character from the actress. Brittany Murphy also deserves recognition; she was very young but showed talent and remained an active performer until the end of her tragically short life. Stacey Dash does what she can, but she lacked the opportunity or material to truly shine like her colleagues. Dan Hedaya and Paul Rudd also deliver strong performances in the film. The movie isn’t visually stunning or filled with impressive effects, nor should it be. In fact, one of the keys to its success (financially speaking) was that it had a modest budget but achieved remarkable box office results. Without unlimited resources, the production team worked hard to make the film appear more lavish than it actually was, and I suspect a good portion of the money went into the stylish and seemingly expensive costumes for the three main characters, as well as Cher’s home—a magnificent California mansion.

Source on TMDB