Beneath their surface frivolity, the films of Amy Heckerling use humor to explore such fundamental themes as gender, parenthood, aging, sexual relationships, and the idiosyncrasies of social life in a changing society. As a director, writer, and producer whose work includes prominent and financially successful films, Heckerling is an important figure in women's expanded influence in comedy. Among the distinctive elements of her work are comedic social observation, a focus on youth and age difference, body humor, and an inclusive approach to characterization. Spanning more than three decades, Heckerling's career is a model for women's development of the comedy and teen genres in film and television beyond their traditional masculine preoccupations.

FEMALE AUTHORSHIP AND GENRE

Heckerling's career can be situated within a generation of prominent American female directors, producers, and writers that includes Penny Marshall, Penelope Spheeris, Martha Coolidge, Nora Ephron, Betty Thomas, and Nancy Meyers. Having establishing their careers in various capacities, from acting to behind-the-scenes work in Hollywood and independent films, these women came to prominence in production roles during the 1980s. This was a period in which the widespread social impact of feminism led to opportunities for women in a growing range of occupations. The accomplishments of these women include some of the most prominent comedy films of recent decades, such as Valley Girl (Coolidge, 1983); Big (Marshall, 1988); Ephron's screenplay for When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989); Wayne's World (Spheeris, 1992); Sleepless in Seattle (Ephron, 1993); The Brady Bunch Movie (Thomas, 1995); You've Got Mail (Ephron, 1998); Something's Gotta Give (Meyers, 2003); Julie & Julia (Ephron, 2009); It's Complicated (Meyers, 2009); and Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Look Who's Talking (1989), and Clueless (1995). As will be seen, these films also form a precedent for the subsequent prominence of female comedic writers and producers in film and television, including Tina Fey, Diablo Cody, Kristen Wiig, and Amy Poehler.

The significance of female filmmakers has been shaped inevitably by industry factors. Opportunities for women to direct films in Hollywood increased in the 1980s, but the industry's growing emphasis on marketing and blockbusters was often “less conducive to the freedom of the individual director”; the industry's use of the package system, where personnel are assembled on a filmby- film basis, benefited directors with “existing clout” but few female directors were able to get a film made on the basis of their name alone.