Two High Schoolers Go on Their First and Last Hurrah Before College

Beanie Feldstein (left) and Kaitlyn Dever in "Booksmart"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

The great thing about high-school movies is how anyone can relate them.  We’ve all been through the laughs, awkwardness, and drama during those years of our lives, making them times that have the potential to remain unforgettable.  Because of how well we can connect with such movies, it’s always curious to see how a certain movie will approach the subject of high school.

Actress Olivia Wilde makes her directorial debut and brings us a new high-school comedy with her film, “Booksmart,” an energetic and funny coming-of-age story that’s brought to life by the unbeatable chemistry of its two leads.

Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are hardworking high-school seniors who are all set for college.  However, they soon realize that they let classwork get in the way of having fun, and the two of them decide to attend a party held by a fellow student the night before they graduate.  This change in their routine will lead to a series of high jinks that neither could have anticipated.

From the opening scene, where Dever and Feldstein take part in some improv dancing as Amy picks up Molly for school, you’re won over by their on-screen connection.  You can see the strength of their friendship and their I-don’t-care-what-others-think-of-us attitude, and you get caught up in the joy that they experience in spending time together.  It’s a friendship at its purest, showing an unbreakable bond between Amy and Molly that will help carry them through a night where they will emerge from their comfort zones.  There’s a palpable energy between Dever and Feldstein that brought me back to the fun times that my friends and I shared in high school, and that sense of excitement that the two of them bring to the movie gets you pumped for the many possibilities that this special night could have in store for them.

The film has several supporting performances that add much to the hilarity.  There’s Billie Lourd as a hilariously unhinged party girl; Skyler Gisondo as a lively, always-smiling classmate; Jessica Williams as Amy and Molly’s free-spirited teacher; Jason Sudeikis as Amy and Molly’s principal; and Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte as Amy’s parents.  In a movie as funny as this, it’s great to see it populated by several humorous characters who get to have witty interactions with the two leads.

The screenplay by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman has several similarities to the 2007 comedy “Superbad,” but the differences within the script are enough to give this movie some freshness, making Amy and Molly’s party-finding journey a night that the two of them, and you, won’t soon forget.  Each scenario becomes more wild than the last, with one of them leading to a very funny stop-motion sequence that’s a result of Amy and Molly feeling the effects from unknowingly ingesting hallucinogenic drugs, and this scene is an adventurous storytelling choice for a coming-of-age comedy that compliments the adventurousness of its two lead characters.

Aside from all of the frenetic antics into which Amy and Molly find themselves, the narrative also explores the theme of not being labeled by your peers, which leads to some endearing dialogues that the characters share as they explain their true selves, proving our pre-conceived notions about them wrong.  These conversations give the movie an emotional weight that balances out the laughs with heart-to-heart talks that make these characters memorable.

As a director, Wilde captures the exuberance and unpredictability of high school, whether it be celebrating the last day of school throughout the hallways, going through a series of parties before arriving at the right one, or driving erratically in order to make it to graduation on time, there’s an entertaining frenzy that propels the movie from one enjoyable sequence to the next, and there isn’t a dull moment to be had.

Despite the terrific craziness that ensues, Wilde never forgets to emphasize the emotional bond between Amy and Molly.  She displays their commitment to each other as they set out to have a night that they will always remember, while also exploring the strains in their friendship that appear later on that threaten to drive them apart.

With “Booksmart,” Wilde hasn’t only given us a wonderful contribution to the high-school-comedy sub-genre, but also a celebration of how it’s never to late, in any part of your life, to have a good time.

Grade: A-