Booksmart

photo courtesy of refinery29.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Olivia Wilde makes a knockout directorial debut with Booksmart. The movie follows two high schoolers on their last night before graduation. When it hits Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) that they worked too hard to make it into college, they set out to make up for all their missed partying in one. epic. night.

     Booksmart is fresh and funny as all hell. Combining star-making performances from Dever and Feldstein with a phenomenal script, it tells a coming of age story for a younger generation. And as a female-led comedy (in front of and behind the camera), it serves as a significant moment in onscreen representation.

photo courtesy of mashable.com

     First, let’s talk about the performances. Dever and Feldstein have both given memorable performances before (Feldstein’s supporting role in Lady Bird comes to mind), but Booksmart proves that they’ve got what it takes to lead a comedic film. They are, in a word, hilarious, and they have the range to handle the movie’s more emotional scenes, too.

     Booksmart has an excellent script, credited to a group of four female screenwriters. The screenplay is funny and raunchy, with sharp dialogue, clever payoffs, and a few commendable creative risks. It’s also emotionally honest about its characters. Booksmart feels real, like the writers actually know the experience of this generation of kids—although, like any high school movie, it exaggerates stereotypes. Even where it follows the typical structure of a teen movie, it brings a level of specificity that makes its scenes feel different.

photo courtesy of consequenceofsound.net

     And Booksmart makes representation—of women, minorities, and the LGBT+ community—a commonplace, matter-of-fact thing. I can’t remember a time when two young female characters were the protagonists of a mainstream, raunchy comedy, much less a young lesbian character. So although Booksmart might not be quite perfect in terms of inclusion—the gay male characters exist primarily as punchlines—it reaches some impressive landmarks.

     FINAL VERDICT: Hysterical and quick-witted, Booksmart is the best comedy of 2019 so far.

Booksmart is rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking – all involving teens.

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