For moviegoers of a certain age, it’s hard to overstate the importance of 1995’s “Clueless” as a pop-cultural touchstone. Director and screenwriter Amy Heckerling’s witty and uber-quotable update of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” with Alicia Silverstone in the lead role, gave us gems like “That’s Ren and Stimpy. They’re way existential,” as well as launching the careers of Paul Rudd and the late Brittany Murphy.
Seventeen years later, Heckerling and Silverstone have re-teamed for “Vamps,” a new girlfriend comedy about two vampires (Silverstone and Krysten Ritter) looking for a little fun in the Big Apple, in theaters now and on DVD Nov. 13. The Post got on the phone with the director and her muse to discuss the new project, and the lasting impact of the old one.
So is this the undead “Clueless”?
Heckerling: Somebody did refer to it as “Clueless Vampires.” It has a sadder underbelly, though. “Clueless” was based on a book that was really a comedy of manners, and this was something that was in my head and may not be as light.
How was it working together again?
AH: We just look at each other, and know what we’re thinking.
Silverstone: It’s true. It was really lovely. Just too much fun to call it work.
Amy, what appealed to you about a vampire story?
AH: If you’re going to say vampires are symbolic of anything, it’s our fear of aging. You could throw in fear of death. And if you think about it, show business is the perfect metaphor. This industry that sucks the life out of young people.
Are you surprised by the enduring power of “Clueless”?
AH: I’m, like, delighted. I live in my own little world, and it doesn’t occur to me, and every now and then it’ll come up. And I can’t go to a party without people saying, “Let’s do a lap.”
AS: People say something to me every day. They’ll come up and say, “I’m sorry, I’m sure you get this all the time, and it’s annoying, but I love ‘Clueless’ so much.” And I’m, like, why would it be annoying? I love that. I think that movie is so good.
Did you ever think Paul Rudd would turn out to be so big a star?
AH: At the time I was casting, I was really looking hard at all the young guys. I think Ben Affleck was mentioned, but the casting person didn’t think to show him to me. When I found Paul, it was like, “Thank God.” It was such a relief, because there weren’t that many actors out there at the time who could be that endearing young man you would fall in love with who was also sort of a Jiminy Cricket type, without seeming pompous.
How do you feel about where female-centric comedies have gone since “Clueless”?
AH: Without saying bad things about anybody’s work, I think after “Clueless” there were a lot of people trying to do things in that same vein. But what they took from it was mentioning clothing labels or going shopping a lot or being sort of self-centered. They didn’t take the heart of it. They were all about women that seemed to be driven toward weddings and marriage in very silly ways. And all these stupid plans for catching a man and marrying him. It kind of makes me want to power puke.
sstewart@nypost.com