Year of Release: 2019
Director: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Victoria Ruesga, Billie Lourd, Mason Gooding, Skyler Gisondo, Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, Eduardo Franco, Nico Hiraga, Austin Crute
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:
"Booksmart" is actress Olivia Wilde's feature directorial debut, and it couldn't be a more auspicious one. The film follows the story of Amy and Molly, two best friends who are about to graduate high school and go on to University. They have both succeeded academically while being slightly ostracized for not partaking in any parties or group outings. When Molly suddenly realizes that the people who shunned her (or them), are also going to Ivy League colleges, she and Amy decide to party hard on the evening before their graduation. They set their sights on Nick's party, the target of Molly's enthusiasm, but before they get to that event, they go through a series of other events, each one more unexpected than the previous. By the end of the night, they have a series of realizations that help shape their next steps, while also shifting their friendship into more honest territory.
"Booksmart" has been hailed as a new version of Greg Mottola's "Superbad", but it's in reality a film that surpasses it, being that it's more insightful, funny, filled with heart, and aesthetically/stylistically accomplished. Olivia Wilde has managed to capture this nuanced camaraderie between two young women, who are each other's support, while also embedding their relationship with humor, heart and irreverence. It's a film that smartly tackles clichés, recognizes them, and reshuffles them, illustrating during the timeline of an evening, all the magical, surreal and offbeat experiences that can occur in such a big metropolis. It's a film that drinks a bit from Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" and Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", but it has a distinctive point of view, one that is representative of where youth is now, capturing the magical aspect of first love/infatuation, first heartbreak, and impulsive decisions. The performances are uniformly fantastic, particularly Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein who share a great chemistry. The cinematography from Jason McCormick is beautiful and the score from Dan the Automator is spot on. A fantastic film worth watching and treasuring.
"Booksmart" has been hailed as a new version of Greg Mottola's "Superbad", but it's in reality a film that surpasses it, being that it's more insightful, funny, filled with heart, and aesthetically/stylistically accomplished. Olivia Wilde has managed to capture this nuanced camaraderie between two young women, who are each other's support, while also embedding their relationship with humor, heart and irreverence. It's a film that smartly tackles clichés, recognizes them, and reshuffles them, illustrating during the timeline of an evening, all the magical, surreal and offbeat experiences that can occur in such a big metropolis. It's a film that drinks a bit from Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" and Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", but it has a distinctive point of view, one that is representative of where youth is now, capturing the magical aspect of first love/infatuation, first heartbreak, and impulsive decisions. The performances are uniformly fantastic, particularly Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein who share a great chemistry. The cinematography from Jason McCormick is beautiful and the score from Dan the Automator is spot on. A fantastic film worth watching and treasuring.
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