Three Act Story Structure of Clueless

     Clueless, a movie written and directed by Amy Heckerling, is one of my all time favorite movies. I chose to analyze this movie in particular because of its similarity to my own film opening I will be making: They both fall under the genre of drama comedies. One major difference, however, would be the love interest involved in Clueless is a lot more emphasized in comparison to my film. 

Act One

    At the start of the film, the main characters are introduced: Cher Horowitz, Dionne Davenport, Josh Lucas, and Tai Frasier. Cher Horowitz is the star of the film, falling under the rich, dumb blonde trope in the movie, living in a mansion in Beverly Hills. She plots to improve her average grades to live up to her father's expectations, as he is a successful lawyer. Cher's best friend, Dionne, supports her scheming, while also bickering with her boyfriend: Murray Duvall. The new girl in school, Tai, is soon brought in as Cher's new 'project' to make her more popular. Meanwhile, Josh is featured mocking her and making fun of her unrealistic lifestyle. 

    An inciting incident is the part in a story in which the plot is disrupted, pushing the protagonist to make choices or cause a change in the storyline to leave room for a future resolution. In Clueless, this incident occurs when commoner Tai comes into Cher's exclusive circle creating chaos, followed by a series of events taking place shortly after.

Act Two

    Cher, trying to play matchmaker and couple up Tai with Elton Tiscia, a popular and cocky boy at the school, backfires when she discovers Elton is interested in her more than Tai. This, along with Tai's rising popularity, creates tension between the two girls leading to an argument. Additionally, Cher begins to find a love interest of her own in the new stylish transfer student. She later recognizes that he is not into her due to his sexuality. All of these events occurring consecutively, along with Josh's constant remarks, leads to Cher starting to question her own morals and purpose in life. 

    Elton is painted as an antagonist, or 'villain,' due to his arrogance, and specifically his harshness when rejecting Tai. This put Cher in an awkward position, being she was the one who tried to match them together to begin with. However, the main antagonist in the film is Cher's own faults such as her artificiality and lack of awareness.

Act Three

    Cher and Tai resolve their conflicts in the end after a hurtful exchange of words during their previous argument, becoming friends again. Cher also realizes her feelings for Josh, who she never thought of than more than just her former step brother. After confessing her emotions, they kiss and he officially becomes her boyfriend. Tai also finds her own love interest, Travis Birkenstock, resolving her relationship struggles. Through all of this, Cher's personal growth is heavily displayed after she begins to do more acts of kindness--not based off ulterior motives. She develops a sense of understanding for others and even begins to help her father with his legal work.