Alicia Silverstone is on good form as the daughter of a wealthy lawyer who has all that money can buy but with virtually no common sense. She’s not quite as daft as she looks, though, and when she manages to manoeuvre loved-up teachers “Mr. Hall” (Wallace Shawn) and “Miss Geist” (Twink Caplan) into a bit of romance gets the idea that maybe she can help others. Who knows, maybe even herself? First task is to rehabilitate new arrival “Tai” (Brittany Murphy) which she sets about with her fellow rich kid “Dionne” (Stacey Dash) but that just gets her thinking about herself and so she hooks up with the extremely dapper “Christian” (Justin Walker) but anyone with the gaydar of a dead chihuahua can spot his interests are elsewhere. Whom else? Perhaps the very candidate is right under her nose? It’s quite a cheerfully characterful drama this with an amiable mix of quote potent stereotypes poked fun at as she proves that you ought not to judge a book by it’s cover. Some of the scenarios are really quite funny, especially when she tries to pass a driving test by playing dodgems down the street. It’s stood the test of time better than many of these coming-of-age dramas, perhaps because the writing relies less on lazy tropes and predictable set-pieces and delivers something just a little more substantial.
