Social Icons

Booksmarts (2019)


Booksmarts (2019)


7/10


Starring
Beanie Feldstein
Kaitlyn Dever


Directed by Olivia Wilde


Booksmart is your typical coming-of-age comedy, marking Olivia Wilde's debut as a film director. The movie is fun, and its core message is basically, “Live your best life while maintaining a balance between having fun and focusing on school or work.”

The story revolves around two friends who dedicate themselves to being the best straight-A students so they can get into top colleges, only to realize they’ve been denying themselves the joys of being teenagers. For me, the movie was so much fun because of the cast's power. The story might feel familiar, but the journey from start to finish felt fresh. I enjoyed being part of a new script, even though the theme was something we’ve seen before.

This fast-paced comedy introduces two female friends, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein), high school seniors just days away from graduation. They’re seen by their peers as pretentious—and for good reason. They focus so much on academic excellence that they avoid parties and recklessness. Deep down, though, they’re just like everyone else; they’ve simply chosen to prioritize school over partying.


Amy often takes on the sidekick role in her friendship with Molly, who is the more assertive and driven of the two. Amy doesn’t mind this dynamic, as she’s not into partying or socializing much. She has a gap year planned, intending to go to Africa for self-discovery. Amy is also not straight and is looking forward to her first romantic experience—she currently has a crush on another girl at school.

When Molly discovers that her classmates—whom she assumed were irresponsible—are actually getting into top colleges, even better ones than hers in some cases, she loses it. She tells Amy that they need to do something wild before they graduate. To her, what’s the point of all their sacrifices if the people who had fun are ending up at the same or better schools?

A party is happening, and even though they weren’t invited, Molly insists they go. Their journey to the party is what makes this movie one of the best you should watch.

The movie was both critically and commercially successful. For her directorial debut, Wilde did a fantastic job, and the film earned Feldstein a Best Actress nomination in Comedy or Musical at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. It also received numerous accolades and awards, with Wilde winning several for her direction.

Billie Lourd’s performance is a standout; her supporting role is unforgettable. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you definitely should.




0 comments:

Post a Comment

Disclaimer

All images featured on this site are the property of their respective copyright owners. They are used solely for illustrative and commentary purposes under fair use principles. This site is a personal blog, unaffiliated with or endorsed by any copyright holders. If you are the copyright owner of an image featured here and wish to have it removed, please contact me directly, and I will address your request promptly.