Booksmart - Movie Review



Plot: On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Olivia Wilde
Certificate: 15 (strong sex references, language, sex, drug misuse)
Runtime: 105 minutes
Release Date: Monday 27th May 2019
Within the past few years, high-school coming of age films have reached a gloriously high quality level. Lady Bird. The Edge of Seventeen. Blockers. All three of these films are exquisitely crafted tales of teenagers finding their way in life, whilst also being downright hilarious. Thankfully, Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, Booksmart, can be added into this slew of fantastic films.
From the get-go, Booksmart is reminiscent of outlandish comedies such as Superbad, and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, yet has the sincerity and character depth of classic John Hughes comedies. The film focuses on two best friends graduating from high-school (Dever and Feldstein), but after securing top grades and their chosen colleges, Amy and Molly come to the realisation that they never got the chance to have fun. Their time was always spent on revision and making systemic improvements to their school, so much so, their social life dwindled. Therefore, in an effort to cram their high school experience into one night, our two protagonists endeavour to reach a high school party, whilst running into bizarre occurrences along the way. With a script from Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman, Booksmart manages to balance nutty comedic set pieces with a very sincere and honest heart. The script is also able to poke fun at modern issues, including PC culture and stereotypes. It does encounter some typical high-school film tropes (tested friendships, unrequited love), but despite the pace slowing in the third act, your connection to these characters sees you through. Also impressing from behind the camera, is first time director, Olivia Wilde. Adding a lot of style, precision, care, and clearly allowing her actors to improvise until the cows come home, Wilde shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker.


FACT: Olivia Wilde said that The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, and Clueless were the inspiration for this film.
Dever and Feldstein share some of the strongest chemistry in recent comedic memory. Feldstein has previously impressed in Lady Bird and Neighbours 2, but in Booksmart, she is a comedic force of nature. Molly is an uptight, headstrong character, determined to join the Senate in the future, yet assumes those who spend their time partying, will fail in life. Her only friend is Amy, a timid, introverted lesbian, afraid of expressing herself and preferring a quiet life to parties. This dynamic duo are witty, snarky, and initially, frustrating. But over the course of their eventful night, they realise that life isn't always about getting the best grades, and that there is always time to let your hair down. However, as electric as Dever and Feldstein are, the strongest aspect of Booksmart are its sensational array of supporting characters. Each and every supporting personality injects a dazzling amount of humour into the film, with each performance differing vastly from one another. Jessica Williams' free-spirited teacher that shares a close connected to Amy and Molly, gets some amazingly killer lines. Jason Sudeikis is on excellent form as the high-school principal, who has clearly become infuriated with Molly's persistence for control. Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte, whilst only present for a single scene, showcase their incredible comedic timing as Amy's doting parents. Yet, it's the younger actors that make the biggest impact. Skyler Gisondo is fantastic as Jared; a wealthy high-schooler who thinks he can buy people's affections. Eduardo Franco and Nico Hiraga are brilliant as your typical high school morons, who spend most of the film doing ridiculously idiotic shit. Austin Crute and Noah Galvin are hysterical as the drama geeks of the school, and in one fantastic comedic set piece, host a murder mystery themed party that spirals out of control. But amongst all of the sensational talent, it's Billie Lourd who emerges as Booksmart's MVP. The character of Gigi is a complete nutjob, continuously appearing out of thin air, spouting the most random of statements, and Lourd nails every single moment. She commits to the role incredulously, and proves to be a rising star.

Booksmart is yet another fantastic coming of age tale that is as hilarious as it is heartwarming. Olivia Wilde enters the picture as a talented filmmaker, bringing a lot of style to a cooky comedy. Dever and Feldstein are a phenomenal comedic pairing, and the supporting players are just, if not more, impressive (particularly Lourd).
Luke's Verdict: 8.5/10
What did you think of Booksmart? What's your favourite high-school comedy from the last five years? Thanks for reading!!

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