FRIENDSHIP PREVAILS IN “BOOKSMART” article by Ronnie Gorham
Photo Credit: Annapurna Pictures/Francois Duhamel
For the most part, our fondest memories of high school weren’t the boring lectures, grueling hours of homework, or terrible lunches they served but rather the friendships we experienced during those four magical years. BOOKSMART  is a hilarious new comedy directed by Olivia Wilde(actress/director) that transports you back to those days of ole and gives you all the nostalgic feels of what it felt like to make the transition from a teen into adulthood.  Packed with an incredibly funny script, great directing, and some pretty memorable cast performances, BOOKSMART is a film you’ll be talking about for years to come
The movie follows the ingenious story of two middle-class teenagers named Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). The two are not exactly what you would call the popular kids in their school but they’re somewhere caught in the middle. They always kind of hold themselves above their classmates and have spent the last four years of school ditching parties and avoiding fun to focus on their studies so they could get into Ivy League schools. Their hard work pays off as Molly is heading off to Yale and Amy to Columbia.
Photo Credit: Annapurna Pictures/Francois Duhamel
But, on the last day of their senior year in high school, they realize that all the kids who partied and never took school serious also got into really good schools. Molly fed up with the fact that they’ve missed out on four years of fun decides that they need to get it out of their system the night before graduation. They decide to attend an end of the year party being thrown by one of their popular classmates but don’t know his address. The rest of the film takes our two young beauties on a hysterical journey of antics that includes using their hair as masks to intimidate a pizza delivery driver.
The movie is a fun, engaging time at the cinema and an instant classic. From the moment the opening scene starts, you know this is going to be a wild ride. And, what makes it such an incredibly entertaining flick besides the brilliant directing by first-time film director/actress Olivia Wilde is its leads, Molly and Amy. Feldstein and Dever’s chemistry couldn’t be reinvented in a lab, the moment they step on the screen you instantly fall in love with their friendship towards each other.
Photo Credit: Annapurna Pictures/Francois Duhamel
It manages to avoid the gender stereotype of just checking off a box that says we made a new high school coming of age comedy movie about two teenage girls instead of boys. But rather the writer’s tell a compellingly funny story about friendships, discovering who you are, and the sometimes life-altering changes that life brings after high school. The film also does a great job of diversifying its cast to reflect the real world. And Amy’s storyline in the film talks about her sexuality as a lesbian but what’s great is how the writer’s give it the same normality that you would any other character.
In addition to Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, Olivia Wilde and writers Sussana Fogel, Emily Harpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman put together a stellar cast of talented young actors. First, there’s Skyler Gisondo as the wealthy kid who’ll virtually do anything for friends. Then, there’s Austin Crute and Noah Galvin who play a couple of gay theater students. Diana Silvers is the girl with a chip on her shoulder and Molly Gordon who’s known throughout the school as Triple A. (You’ll have to see the flick to know what that means)
Photo Credit: Annapurna Pictures/Francois Duhamel
Each cast member kills it in their performances but it’s Billie Lourd (Scream Queens) as Gigi that takes the comedy to a whole other level. Her character is kind of a free-spirited hippie type that shows up at the most awkward of moments and does crazy things like dive head first off a cruise ship. There are some other noteworthy brief but humorous moments with Jessica Williams(The Daily Show, The Incredible Jessica James) who plays Molly and Amy’s teacher. Lisa Kudrow (Friends) and Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) play Amy’s adorable but oblivious suburban parents and Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses) as the school principal.
Overall, BOOKSMART is a fun adrenaline filled high school comedy that is totally worth watching, see it in theaters if you get the chance. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever in the future as their performances easily garner 11 out of 10. Olivia Wilde’s first film directorial debut is a huge success and it’ll be interesting to see what project behind the camera she tackles next. Booksmart has set a new bar for coming of age high school comedies and has joined my own personal favorite films of all-time list.
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