Booksmart

Movie, 2019, R

 

Premise - Two booksmart, straight-A students realize they are about to graduate high school without going to any parties. Having gotten into a prestigious university, Molly thinks this sacrifice has all been worth it until she realizes that everyone else at her school also gotten into successful universities - WITH partying. Thinking she now missed out, the two best friends have to cram a night of partying in before graduation the next day.

Review - I know this film has been lauded by critics for being a fresh, feminist raunchy buddy comedies. Because raunchy buddy comedies exist a dime a dozen (and I love them, i.e. 21 Jump Street, Blades of Glory, etc.) and they are more often than not focused on two, straight white men. To focus on two females, one of which is queer (and keep the raunchiness, if not increase it because female humor is often considered more taboo or dirty), is revolutionary and refreshing. And hilarious.

 

This is also a coming-of-age film with a lot of heart and nostalgia. The friends we make in high school, at least in my personal experience, are among the most important people in our lives because we go through some of these most formative experiences with them. The friendship between Molly and Amy is not just played for laughs - it's sentimental and touching. I wanted to cry at the end when they separated, and then of course they reunited to eat some pancakes and yup, high school friendships be like that...

 

The experiences of losing (or not losing) virginity are also achieved with a decent amount of emotional weight compared to the other film I'm comparing this to, Superbad, which I'll discuss in my next entry. You're much more likely to shed tears AND laugh at this film, whereas Superbad is most likely to just make you laugh. But the plot is more or less the same. (93/100)

Quote - "We'll probably just do a Korean face mask." "Well, I don't need to know all the words"

What to watch for - I know Beanie Feldstein is blowing up right now but I think a lot of the heart of the film is with Amy's character played by Kaitlyn Dever. They are both great though.

If you liked this film, I'd recommend Superbad! Which I realized immediately afterward has pretty much the same plot but in the 2000's and with white dudes looking to get laid instead.

 

Directed by Olivia Wilde

Distributed by United Artists Releasing