Booksmart is an R rated coming of age comedy that sets out to earn its rating. It’s about the friendship between two academically driven girls who realize they have one final chance to fit in with the crowd before high-school graduation. The film will make you laugh out loud, but it’s the cast, the direction, and the old school approach to storytelling that will make Booksmart a favourite of yours for many years to come.

One aspect of why the film works so well is the result of Booksmart’s incredible casting. The leads Kaitlyn Dever (Amy) and Beanie Feldstein (Molly) are hands down one of the funniest comedy duos in recent memory. Their portrayal of confident young women, who care more about their grades and friendship above anything else, feels entirely believable. Adding to the stellar performances are A-listers Billie Lourd (Star Wars/ American Horror Story), Jason Sudeikis (SNL) and Lisa Kudrow (Friends), who fit in perfectly. The wealth of talent from the entire cast and the on-screen chemistry of the lead characters is what any director dreams of assembling.  

This brings me to another aspect of the film's success, and it comes from actress and first-time director Olivia Wilde. She presents a film that has generational attachment and appeal while still feeling contemporary. Adding to that is Booksmart’s straightforward concept that you can easily follow and an incredible delivery from beginning to end. Her direction whole-heartedly sells you on the unbreakable friendship between these girls. It’s clear from the first moment Amy and Molly share the screen that this duo works perfectly together. Now Olivia (I’m certain she’s not reading this), but if I were speaking to her, I would say that I could easily picture another set of films with these characters, following both their college and adult life experiences. Their chemistry is too rich and the audience who’ve seen the film love them, of course, this is only at the director's discretion. I won’t explain every aspect of the story, but Olivia offers up a film that touches on teenage school life, queer relationships, and lifelong friendships. Each of which is handled with care and blend in the comedy on an expert level. A quick nod to the set designer who did an excellent job on the film as well, right down to the bumper stickers on Molly’s car, one of which reads, “I like big books, and I cannot lie.” For her first film as a director, Wilde hits it out of the park. Where she and her young leads go from here will be very interesting - more on that thought in the end.

One final reason you might enjoy this film is through its old school approach to storytelling. It feels like you’re watching a modern take on a cult classic ripped out of the 80’s or 90’s era. I wouldn't be surprised if Booksmart ends up with the same reverence as the films it resembles, with a new generation reciting lines of the script word for word. Going into Booksmart, I didn’t watch the trailer beforehand. I loved walking in cold, unfamiliar with any of the scenes. That’s something we don’t always get in the current generation of movie-going, due to the influx of social media feeding us a good chunk of the film before we get to experience it for ourselves. An alternative to the trailer is the ability to watch the first six minutes on the Annapurna Pictures youtube page. This way, you can absorb the feel of the characters and storytelling without learning everything about the film.

To sum it all up, Booksmart is an excellent film that is worth your time. From the sensational cast, new directors inspiring vision, and a throwback to classic storytelling, you can’t help but enjoy watching it all unfold. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or the eventual Blu-ray release will help many people discover Booksmart and will hopefully give Wilde a hint that we need more of these characters. At the very least we could use more films as fun as this one. One last thought - I could see Kaitlyn Dever tackle a role like Ellie, a video game character from the award-winning title “The Last of Us.” She seems like perfect casting, and many times throughout the film, she sounded exactly like the character, even her expressions were similar at times. There have been rumblings about this game taking a jump to the big screen/small screen, and I could see this working.

I appreciate you reading my review, now go out and experience the film for yourself and take care.

- Booksmart -
Letter Grade: A- (a second viewing could bump it to an A)
Directed By: Olivia Wilde
Run Time: 1h 42m
Rated R