Booksmart

These days it always seems like coming of age comedies are compared in relative quality to Superbad. 

That's interesting to me because while Superbad is probably one of the funnier films in the last 20 years, I guess I never thought of it more than a raunchy comedy, and it never really clicked with me that it could be considered "coming of age". But I see it now. 

Booksmart immediately got the label of being the female equivalent to Superbad - which I feel like we've heard before - and it's likely misleading for some. 

For starters, Booksmart isn't nearly as consistently or uproariously funny as Superbad was/is. That's not really a knock on it, but if you're going in expecting to be crying from laughter, it likely won't happen. Booksmart also has more heart and, in totality, it feels cheap to call it the female Superbad because it's pretty unique in its own right. 

Also really special about this film is that its Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, which I always find as a fun measure to determine if we have an exciting new prospect to get excited for similar to Jordan Peele or John Krasinki.

Booksmart is a film that's really only held back by its pacing, including a meandering middle segment. There's a definite weak point in the film where its jokes aren't landing and these girls still haven't achieved their goal of getting to the party where I was beginning to come down on it hard. After such a strong opening, was this what we were in for as a conclusion? Luckily Booksmart saves many of its best, most heartfelt/dramatic moments for the end and somewhat "saves" itself. The jokes not landing is a problem the film deals with throughout to varying degrees and in my full theater it was a bit awkward at times when a one-liner or physical guffaw would happen without an audience response of laughter. To the film's credit, when the jokes do land, they're often very funny and they're successful more often than not, it's just probably here where I feel like the Superbad comparisons are a bit of a stretch given that film's jokes are all fairly successful. 

That look when you know you just crop dusted that whole crowd

The exact opposite emotion I have
when driving around downtown Denver

Booksmart is contained within about two days of these teenagers lives. Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends who have spent high school well behaved and focused on their studies. When they find out that all the kids that partied and slacked off also got into great schools, they decide to have a night of fun. Hijinks ensue and I'm sure you can fill in the blanks; the story is nothing special, but there are elements of it that are. Having two female leads is a fun change of pace and there's also a camaraderie among this high school class where they're never all that mean to one another. Sure jokes are made and they tease here and there, but generally they're a group of kids who seem to be about 5+ years more mature than typical high schoolers and understand that...ahem...they're all in this together (how many of you read that in a High School Musical tune?). Obviously this is super unrealistic, but it makes for a film that doesn't play out exactly the way you think it will and avoids the common tropes of a high school villain or clique that acts as the villain. 

Our leads, Dever and Feldstein, are wonderful and they grow on you throughout the film, similar to the rest of the eclectic, but fun cast. What Wilde has done here is really difficult: to create a high school class that actually seems like it would be fun to hang out with. It's a diverse bunch but many of the characters stand out during their scenes to create a supporting group of colorful characters. This is part of the reason the film grows on you throughout is because of the strong anchor points in our leads but also a side-focus of people that you're generally excited to see throughout. 

In terms of directing and general technical prowess, Booksmart shows some real gifts that Wilde possesses. There are standout scenes of beauty or design that impress - a moment in the pool comes to mind - and there's generally not a weak point other than the aforementioned pacing. Perhaps if I were to be nitpicky, there's areas where the camera is too close to individuals (that always bothers me), but I didn't notice it often. Booksmart also gets points for an absolutely incredible soundtrack. It plays loud and proud throughout, but adds an insane amount of energy to important scenes. If I were to pick the top 10 best scenes of the film, I can guarantee you that each one of them have a bomb soundtrack choice to go along with it. 

Learning the wrong skills before college!
That pole is too big, ladies!

Booksmart is not the "second coming" of Superbad. It struggles with some jokes and has some pacing work, but, it also distinguishes itself from the pack from having a stellar cast, a unique - if not unrealistic - approach to high school classes, an ample amount of heart, and a killer soundtrack to go along with it. By the end of it all, I was sad to see this class graduate but I wish them fun in their antics they're experience in college. 

CONS

• Some pacing issues in the middle where the film drags
• Not all the jokes land. For our theater I'd say about 60% did
• There's not really any surprises to the story

PROS

• Impressive, and not just for a directorial debut
• When the film's jokes hit right, it's damn funny and has some laugh out loud moments
• Unique approach to high school class where sure, there's teasing, but everyone is generally pretty mature
• Fantastic soundtrack that adds measurable energy to the film
• Dever and Feldstein are wonderful leads that carry the film - seemingly effortlessly
• Really fun group of characters with an awesome supporting cast. This is a film with no weak links
• Endearing and heartfelt by the time it wraps itself up

Rath's Review Score | 8/10