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Olivia Wilde heads to the top of her class with a directorial debut that has attitude and heart to spare.
The corridors of the high school movie are very crowded. With a different movie for all kinds of cliques from across the decades, there are plenty of high school movies for individuals to lay at the altar of. Yet, there’s always room for one more, particularly one that proves to be as distinct and as open as Booksmart.
Best friends Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are graduating high school. Throughout their education, they’ve made a point of keeping their heads down and working hard to ensure they get in their desired colleges. On the eve of graduation however, they begin to suspect they’ve missed out on a fundamental part of the high school experience; partying.
With this aim in mind, the two friends head out to try and find the biggest party being thrown that night by the popular kids. That turns out to have its challenges, as like the girls say so themselves, they don’t really know anybody. This is a night where they have to prove that they’re fun as well as smart and make a mark on their high school experience that changes people’s perception of them.
What is immediately apparently about Booksmart is the landscape it creates for these young teens. This is a high school environment that feels like it is very much owned by the students within it. Every individual feels distinct, charming and inviting. It echoes the high school of Clueless; there are people in their cliques, groups who seem separate but actually flow together in a fashion that exudes compassion, understanding and acceptance.
The introduction into this high school sets up the tone of the film as well as Amy and Molly’s adventure; it’s largely due to their own assumptions of their classmates that they have ended up in the position that they are in. Part of the adventure isn’t just about the girls having a wild night with ensuing hi-jinks and moments of hilarity (of which there are many), it is about finding out that these people that they have spent everyday with for the last four years are all wonderful, interesting and layered individuals.
Much of the adventure that ensues echoes some of the structure of Superbad, and much like Blockers did to American Pie last year, Booksmart aims at developing a story of female friendship in a mould similar to the more male-dominated counterparts in American comedy. It made sound a little reductive to bring in those counterparts, but it’s relevant in the case of this that seems so closely designed to mimic the structure Superbad with the intention of offering the same kind of raw and funny perspective on a close high school friendship. It may mean that the film is a little guilty of falling into some trappings, but there is still a genuine care to character that feels a little more genuine than its counterparts.
That friendship of Molly and Amy is more than affecting, thanks largely to the exceedingly charming performances from Dever and Feldstein. They are a match made in best buddy movie heaven and are an absolute joy to be in the company of as they set out to make their mark on the eve of graduation. The supporting cast has also been incredibly fleshed out by Wilde and her team, with Billie Lourd putting in a particularly hilarious performance.
What most stands out across the experience of Booksmart is just how gifted Wilde is a filmmaker. Always keeping her focus tight to her characters, the film is often capable of imagery that feels full of emotion and with a level of texture that is often missing from comedy. She has made a film that is full of spirit, compassion and joy. It’s weird , it’s very funny, but what stays with you the most is its heart. A wonderful celebration of not just female friendship, but of a generation that’s smart, cool and open to progression and inclusivity.
Booksmart is now playing in cinemas nationwide.
