High school comedies have always filled a very specific niche in the film industry and many of those films have gone on to become either cult classics or outright hits. From Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueler’s Day Off and Fast Times at Ridgemont High to Clueless (seriously, there’s a ton of good ones)…there’s a kind of universal appeal, in one way or another. Now that Summer break has started for many schools, I wanted to recognize a film that beautifully captured the spirit of high school for a new generation. Booksmart is a quirky, often hilarious, adventure for a pair of friends looking to fit in.
If you didn’t know beforehand, you’d never know Olivia Wilde was directing her first full-length feature film. She has a couple of music videos under her belt (behind the camera) but did a phenomenal job honing in on the strengths of this script and bringing this particular high school story to life. Unavoidably, there were elements of other classic genre-mates at play but this film reminded most of Superbad. The friendship at the forefront of the film between Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) was as charming as you could hope for and served as a formidable engine. Wilde saw that the two worked well with one another and wasn’t too proud to stay out of the way. Beyond having a good eye and strong working relationship with her actors, the debuting director had a firm grasp of the film’s humor and just amplified those comedic moments. Speaking of amplified moments, the integration of the fantastic soundtrack curated by Bryan Ling, gave the production a distinct sonic footprint with tracks from a wide array of artists including Jurrasic 5, DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels, Alannis Morrisette, LCD Soundsystem, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Santigold, and Ra Ra Riot…to name a few. First project or not, Wilde displayed a broad and interconnected approach to filmmaking that can’t be overlooked. She’s definitely leading the pack for my Breakthrough Director of the year and with one of 2019’s best films, she can’t be counted out of the Best Director race.
The aforementioned pair of Dever and Feldstein led the way with strong chemistry and a potent sense of comedic timing. Both of them have been working in the industry for a while but these were definitely career-making performances. While I’m sure these two young actors would have done a fine job regardless, they had some good characters to work with. The screenplay by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman definitely starts with a pair of grounded and tangible characters but it also leads into some entertaining dialogue which manages to be both familiar, to those of us who grew up with a lot of those iconic 80s movies, and refreshing for a new generation of kids. If you’re going to make one of these types of films, you had better bring something to the table or execute the formula at a very high level. This movie did both.
The majority of flicks in this category rely heavily on their ensemble supporting casts and Allison Jones put together a strong one. There were some very strong performances from comedy stalwarts starting with Wilde’s husband, Jason Sudeikis, as the school principal with Will Forte and Lisa Kudrow stepping in as Amy’s overzealous parents. Beyond those veterans, Billie Lourd and Skyler Gisondo gave breakout performances as the mysterious Gigi and misunderstood Jared, making this film their own in many ways. Similarly, Noah Galvin and Austin Crute breathed life into a pair of flamboyant theater kids (George and Alan) who could have very easily been footnotes in this film without their performances. Really, there were a lot of good performances from a talented cast I just don’t have the time to go over them one by one.
As a movie about a couple of bookworms looking to have one night of unencumbered partying before they graduate, it checked off a lot of familiar boxes. Even so, it felt fresh and thrived in all the areas where it could have fallen flat. Quite frankly, it’s hilarious and one of my favorite offerings so far this year and could very easily become the quintessential high school comedy for this generation. Even if it doesn’t do overwhelming numbers at the box office, this is sure to become a cult classic over the next decade.
Recommendation: If you have even the slightest affinity for the genre, then you’ll probably have a great time with this and even if you don’t, give this movie a chance and you might just be pleasantly surprised. Going into its third weekend, this is the perfect counter-programming to summer blockbuster season.