B | Two friends try and make up for their overly studious ways the night before their high school graduation. Directed by Olivia Wilde Starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever Review by Pierce Bauer |
As DJ Shadow's "Nobody Speak" booms through the speakers, one of the numerous badass, bass-heavy hip-hop songs cycling through as a pseudo score for the film, the feeling of kicking down a door and making a grand entrance to a party emerges in Olivia Wilde's Booksmart. The film follows the one night journey of Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), the epitome of BFFs, as they look to fulfill their final chance at adolescent partying. The premise is nothing new, but the audacious character work and superb mix of comedy with earnest teenage friendship is something that should turn heads. Living with the predetermined moniker of being a female Superbad lessens the movie's innovation from its teen comedy predecessor, but also should provide an accurate seal of approval for the level of humor and impact of the film.
Wilde's directorial debut offers far more than expected from the premise alone with a confidence to the filmmaking that genuinely shocked me. A combination of vigorous editing and soundtracking helped liven moments to evoke the palpable teenage energy, with its absence giving time for some softer, more intimate moments. Wilde's direction and the quartet of female comedy screenwriters illustrate an understanding of comedy filmmaking that feels simultaneously adhering to what has worked in the past and missing in the present. They crafted the movie with just the right tinge of nuance and progress; something others have attempted by few have succeeded in pairing with this level of laughs. I genuinely cannot remember the last great laugh-out-loud moment from any recent comedies, but Booksmart left me with several. Whether it be the cellphone pornography and Uber aux chord catastrophe or a high school theater kid's karaoke rendition of Alanis Morrisette, I felt my laughter in real-time assuring Booksmart to be the best comedy in years.
Dever and Feldstein lead as the classic best friend duo set to part post-graduation. For a premise that's been done before with the apt Superbad comparison, Amy and Molly very much fit the mold of Seth and Evan's codependent friendship. The Superbad comparison is so 1:1 it's almost distracting. Although, even within the familiar dynamic, their characters are entirely new and refreshing avatars to experience the modern high school experience. Both Molly and Amy are high-achieving, smart young girls who chose to work towards their successes rather than partake in their contemporaries' debauchery, offering a needed departure from the Apatow-esque stoner slobs in the making. They offer something new to root for rather than becoming "the Iron Chef of pounding vag." Amy and Molly's newfound need to escape their pre-chosen identities says more about the expectations placed on them as teenage girls and their choice to break from that spurns their youthful revelry. Both actresses offer great comedic performances that help reassure the lustrous career hinted at from both of their previous, but limited work. The pitch-perfect depictions of these two sincere characters only further the comedy and amplify the film's portrayal of young female friendship, making it both hysterical and effective.
Being a lasting high school teen comedy is an illustrious group to crack. Every generation has their cult favorites with many imitators falling by the wayside. The film provides a new interpretation of teenage female friendship and high school dynamics reminiscent of lasting favorites like Mean Girls and Clueless with the inclusion of hilarious degradation, a needed trope within the genre. We have to be able to look back at our teenage selves and laugh, even if it felt world crushing at the time. To build upon past iterations, yet still speak to the coming generation of pimple-faced hallway dwellers is a difficult task, and Wilde hits the mark entirely. Comedy has been in desperate need of a laugh out loud movie experience, and the terrific writing along with Feldstein and Dever's outright audacity make Booksmart a hopeful generational favorite, kicking down the door of the high school comedy ranks. A
Dever and Feldstein lead as the classic best friend duo set to part post-graduation. For a premise that's been done before with the apt Superbad comparison, Amy and Molly very much fit the mold of Seth and Evan's codependent friendship. The Superbad comparison is so 1:1 it's almost distracting. Although, even within the familiar dynamic, their characters are entirely new and refreshing avatars to experience the modern high school experience. Both Molly and Amy are high-achieving, smart young girls who chose to work towards their successes rather than partake in their contemporaries' debauchery, offering a needed departure from the Apatow-esque stoner slobs in the making. They offer something new to root for rather than becoming "the Iron Chef of pounding vag." Amy and Molly's newfound need to escape their pre-chosen identities says more about the expectations placed on them as teenage girls and their choice to break from that spurns their youthful revelry. Both actresses offer great comedic performances that help reassure the lustrous career hinted at from both of their previous, but limited work. The pitch-perfect depictions of these two sincere characters only further the comedy and amplify the film's portrayal of young female friendship, making it both hysterical and effective.
Being a lasting high school teen comedy is an illustrious group to crack. Every generation has their cult favorites with many imitators falling by the wayside. The film provides a new interpretation of teenage female friendship and high school dynamics reminiscent of lasting favorites like Mean Girls and Clueless with the inclusion of hilarious degradation, a needed trope within the genre. We have to be able to look back at our teenage selves and laugh, even if it felt world crushing at the time. To build upon past iterations, yet still speak to the coming generation of pimple-faced hallway dwellers is a difficult task, and Wilde hits the mark entirely. Comedy has been in desperate need of a laugh out loud movie experience, and the terrific writing along with Feldstein and Dever's outright audacity make Booksmart a hopeful generational favorite, kicking down the door of the high school comedy ranks. A
RSS Feed