A Study Into 90s Rom-Com Literature Adaptations

Literature has always heavily influenced film but in the 90s there was a wave of teen romantic comedies, most commonly known as “rom-coms,” based on classics. From Cruel Intentions to Clueless, these films were hugely popular, launched the careers of many of our most beloved actors today and made classical literature much more accessible for young people.

10 Things I Hate About You:

First and foremost, one of my favourite films of all time; 10 Things I Hate About You. The ultimate 90s rom-com starring Julia Stiles (Kat Stratford) and the late Heath Ledger (Patrick Verona.) The movie is loosely based on “Taming of the Shrew,” a play by English Playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare. Whilst from the start of the movie, the characters are fairly true to the literary origins, the film updates many misogynistic faults in the origins of the play. A prime example of this is that in the play, the character of Katerina is “tamed” and made into an obedient wife whereas in the movie it is Ledger’s character Patrick who falls for her, even more so because of her refusal to comply with societal expectations.

For me, Kat’s character was what made me fall in love with the film, she was a badass feminist who played by her own rules, but she also wasn’t “perfect,” she got too drunk at a party, she had hung out with the “popular” kids in the past and made mistakes when she was younger; overall her character was realistic and inspiring.

Furthermore, the film didn’t completely adhere to the idea of a stereotypical “mean girl.” Kat’s sister Bianca (played by Larisa Oleynik) is at first made to seem materialistic, superficial and the complete opposite of Kat. However, by the end of the film, she is able to understand why her sister acted so aggressively against the misogynistic antagonist of the film and to form her own opinions. This helped the film appeal to a wider range of girls instead of pitting women against each other.

Clueless:

Clueless is possibly one of the most iconic films of all time for teenage girls. Inspiring fashion trends for years to come and even music videos, such as Iggy Azalea’s Fancy. Despite being aware that Clueless was based on “Emma,” a novel by Jane Austen, I have to admit that I couldn’t picture it taking place in the time it was written; that was until the newest adaptation of it titled “Emma” came out this year. The similarities between the two movies in their plotlines despite the different settings were striking and made me realise how well Clueless had been adapted into a high school setting in the 90s. Cher (played by Alicia Silverstone), as with Emma in the original, is a well off woman who enjoys making matchmaking projects for her friends. She embarks on several of these “projects” which are cleverly modernised and updated to be more appropriate for a high school setting whilst finding herself as the film progresses.

Clueless avoids a true antagonist, instead presenting a flawed main character. Cher, who makes well-meaning mistakes such as trying to change her new friend Tai (played by Brittany Murphy) into a version of herself and at first appears to be quite superficial and materialistic. As with Emma, in Clueless, Cher makes mistakes but ultimately admits to them and tries to correct them in order to become a better person.

Additionally, diversity in film has come a long way since the nineties and indeed still has a long way to go. Clueless made an attempt to include much more LGBTQ+ and POC representation than many other films of the time. However, some of these characters were introduced with very stereotypical portrayals, such as the scene where Cher mistakes her maid for being Mexican when she’s from El Salvador as well as depicting many gay cliches to account for Christian’s sexuality.

Cruel Intentions:

The french novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” first shocked the literary community due to its scandalousness. It went on to inspire the film adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons” in 1988 which earned seven Oscar nominations and the teen romantic drama “Cruel Intentions,” set in Manhattan high society in 1999. This later led to TV shows like Gossip Girl in the 2000s, which mirrored many of the settings and themes.

Unlike any other rom-coms of the time, the two main characters Kathryn and Sebastian in Cruel Intentions, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe, are so manipulative and calculating that they are almost completely irredeemable and unlikeable. Kathryn’s character offers more complexity, shown when she has an iconic monologue in which she outlines the double standards and slut-shaming that she faces despite carrying the pretence of being the “model” Upper Eastside young woman. However although she is aware of the struggles that women - specifically white women - face in society, Kathryn continues to exploit the other young women in the film to succeed in a bet against Sebastian as well as seek revenge on her ex-boyfriend.

So why has Cruel Intentions become such a cult film? The film was not in any way cleaned up to make it more PG and appropriate for younger audiences, with sex, power and deceit being its primary themes; as well as having a main character who had a drug problem and displays of sexual assault, racism and homophobia within it. The later popularity of shows such as Gossip Girl and Euphoria demonstrates how, as in Cruel Intentions, more provocative films and tv shows have a lot of success among teenage audiences in comparison to their more censored counterparts.

A common feature between all these films is that they made classical literature more accessible to teen audiences by changing the settings to a high school environment. In doing this, they showed how those stories could be relatable and understandable despite the complex language used in the original novels. The films were also adapted to be more current and conscious of social issues, such as allowing the women in these stories to be more powerful and recognising the misogyny in the original plotlines.

By Priya Maiti

Edited by Halima Jibril

Graphic by Maya Swift