‘Booksmart’ is a fresh take on the coming-of-age drama. Actress Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a smart and heartwarming look at the last day of high school before graduation. The reason it works so well is due to witty dialogue, excellent casting and fast-paced editing. The script is written by four talented women (Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Katie Silberman). They have rejected the typical teen film stereotypes which allow us to focus on the relationships. The film does not allow the smart kids to have a superiority complex over the less studious ones. This enables the main characters to examine their identities and move on to the next phase of their life. ‘Booksmart’ is one of the best comedies of the year so far.
It’s the day before graduation when straight-A student BFFs Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) feel like they spent too much time studying and not enough time partying. Molly is valedictorian set to attend Yale and feminist Amy plans to attend Columbia. “Nobody knows we’re fun,” Molly implores. “They need to know.” When she finds out that some of her less studious classmates have gotten into good colleges, this shatters her line of reasoning. The girls are on a mission to go to a graduation house party and show their classmates they are fun too. Of course their odyssey takes some hilarious and weird twists and turns through Los Angeles.
The supporting cast is equally as good as the two female leads. A few of the standouts are rich kid Jared (Skyler Gisondo) who tries to buy everyone’s friendship. There is the eccentric Gigi (Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher), a character that mysteriously pops up at all the parties and skater girl Ryan, the object of Amy’s affection. It’s interesting to see the shy Amy come out of her shell with the help of her best friend Molly. Molly is definitely the more assertive of the two. You can feel the sisterly love that they have for each other. As we get to know the girls, it becomes clear that what they are really afraid of is the pressure of adulthood without the support they always give each other.
Feldstein and Devers have perfect chemistry together. Whether they break out in a nerdy dance or use their code word “Malala,” they try to look out for each other. They have a true bond together. This is displayed in Molly’s overbearing support for Amy’s crush on Ryan. The girls go through some wild adventures together. Condoms are used as water balloons, Barbie Dolls suffer through an accidental drug trip and lesbian porn echoes through a Lyft driver’s auxiliary jack. It sounds wild and it is. This is their last night of freedom before they graduate and face the world as adults. This is their last time together and they are going to make sure it is as reckless as possible.
‘Booksmart’ is being compared to ‘Superbad’ but it is a lot more than that comedy. It’s a celebration of teenage girls and their strong bonds of friendship with one another. You get the sense that Molly and Amy did not miss out on the fun in high school. They had more fun together at a sleep over than any wild house party. Even if you’re not a teenager anymore, it is fun to revisit that exciting time of life when you feel like you can conquer the world. ‘Booksmart’ gets an A.
