As If! The Oral History of Clueless by Jen Chaney
I would like to believe that As If! is the book every Clueless fan ever has unknowingly been waiting for. This, at least in my case, is totally true. There’s so much to say about a movie so timeless that even twenty years later, it’s still being quoted so often. Tell me you haven’t used “jeepin'” in conversation before. I won’t believe you, because it’s probably not true.
Just as expected, As If! highlights all the finer points of what went on behind the scenes of Clueless and gifts us with a load of fun facts we didn’t ever think we wanted to know, but so do. Did you know Ben Affleck was considered for the role of Josh? Reese Witherspoon could have played Cher? You didn’t? Aren’t you so glad I told you? Allow me to freak you out even more — can you picture Dave Chappelle playing your beloved Murray? I can’t either. Sorry Dave, but Donald Faison just knows how to keep it real. Which, speaking of, Donald swears he came up with those infamous lines he delivered during his haircut scene in the film. Amy Heckelering, on the other hand, isn’t so sure. I can keep hitting you with all these stellar facts, but that might bore you, so I’ll skip over that. I’m sure you get the deal. I’m now a walking Clueless encyclopedia and it’s the best.
Along with a multitude of awesome snippets like this, As If! delivers a much more eventful run-through of how Clueless came to be, and just how close it might have been to never happening had Heckerling not been as insistent about it as she was. This was the book’s strong suit for me, and I enjoyed knowing the backstory more than anything. The casts commentary on each other was equally humorous and entertaining, and the entirety of the novel read through like a massive round table interview more than anything, and I mean this in the best way possible. I felt like I was sitting at a dinner party with all of the Scooby gang and it just felt like home.
This is practically a collector’s item any fan of the movie is going to want to have on their shelves. It’s well written and filled with pure gold. Anyone itching to immerse themselves back in Cher’s fantasyland won’t be disappointed. Make sure to pick this one up when you get the chance.
Rating: 9/10
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