Booksmart (2019)

[Cranberry]

"The story follows Dever and Feldstein's characters, two academic superstars and best friends who, on the eve of their high school graduation, suddenly realize that they should have worked less and played more. Determined never to fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night."

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut! It has 99% on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment (143 reviews with an average score of 8.45/10). 

Don't watch this at work:

[Guest]

This was pretty cute but probably forgettable in the long run. It was basically Broad City set in high school, if Abby and Illana were drug free, neurotic overachievers. Molly was kind of annoying and reminded me much more of a drama kid than a valedictorian. I thought the friendship between her and Amy was very sweet and well executed, even if we hardly learned anything about them as individual characters. Of course, the entire movie rests on your ability to hand wave the ridiculous premise that every single character, no matter how popular or dumb, is actually a secret genius headed to an Ivy League school or a cushy Silicon Valley job in the fall. I guess we're just supposed to assume that Molly and Amy are either too oblivious or superior to have noticed…that half their grade was taking the same classes as them for at least the past two years?

The weird "doll acid trip" stopmotion-esque sequence was the only thing that landed like a lead balloon for me and totally took me out of the movie because I felt like I was watching a Robot Chicken sketch. As a woman who adored stuffed animals as a child and continues to have fond memories of them, I was deeply disturbed by the running gag that Amy uses a stuffed animal (presumably from childhood???) to masturbate. I shudder to even ask, is that a thing? I'm hardly a masturbation aficionado, but why wouldn't you just use your hand? She's an adult...she knows how it works...wouldn't the beads hurt?...augh.

The shot of Amy swimming under the water and tracking everyone from their legs to reveal Molly and Amy's crushes making out (a great twist!) was great cinematography and built a nice tension. Molly's backup love interest was adorable. Only in Hollywood would a Gucci clad handsome kid with money to burn be considered an outcast. Amy's backup love interest, however…not so much. Their sex scene was really cute and realistic until she freaked out after the puking incident, which struck me as an abruptly cold and nasty reaction. I feel like the writers forced that fight to give them a final reconciliation scene, but All it did was make me feel bad that Amy is going to spend her gap year strung along by this crappy girl simply because she's the first girl who ever showed her romantic attention. In my opinion, she had better chemistry with Ryan and Ryan fit her quirky personality more, but I guess they wanted to do the "tomboy is actually straight" twist, so whatever.

It was awesome seeing Jessica Williams again because I haven't really been following her she left The Daily Show! The role was perfect for her, although I was surprised they went with her sleeping with her (verified legal) student, given that feels very un-PC for a social justice minded Gen Z audience. Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte felt very underused, but hilarious nonetheless. The pizza guy reveal was also the funniest part of the movie for me.

The actress playing Amy reminds me a lot of Ellen Page.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

She's an adult...she knows how it works...

But she wasn't an adult, and presumably started doing this a while back.

I  liked the movie more than you did, and think the praise it's getting is warranted.  I loved Superbad, and I loved this girls' version of Superbad.  I'm really impressed by the confidence in the direction, especially for a first-time director. 

(By the way, speaking of Superbad, the girl who plays Molly is Jonah Hill's sister.)

Like you, I didn't like the animated sequence.  I understand why it's there, and why it would be a good medium for what it was doing, but it took me out of the movie.

As for the puking, remember when Amy said that once she threw up and her mother caught it in her hands because she loves her?  I'm thinking she may grok that that's not what happened with the back-up love interest, and not get strung along.

And on a shallow note, I hated Ryan because she's got one of those mouths where she can't close her lips over her teeth.  I know, it's not her fault, but still.  (Needless to say, Napoleon Dynamite was a grind for me; at least Ryan wasn't the lead.)

But I was happy to suspend the disbelief I needed to in order to enjoy Booksmart.  I contrast that with Poms, in which I was also asked to suspend disbelief, but it felt insulting and I hated that movie. 

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But she wasn't an adult, and presumably started doing this a while back.

I  liked the movie more than you did, and think the praise it's getting is warranted.  I loved Superbad, and I loved this girls' version of Superbad.  I'm really impressed by the confidence in the direction, especially for a first-time director. 

(By the way, speaking of Superbad, the girl who plays Molly is Jonah Hill's sister.)

Make no mistake, I did thoroughly enjoy the film (regardless of questionable masturbation habits)! 🙂

Molly being Jonah Hill's sister totally tracks.

I'm down with lady Superbad...that trailer for Good Boys or whatever it's called, not so much. I don't think we need a middle school Superbad, lol.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/24/2019 at 8:19 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

This was pretty cute but probably forgettable in the long run. It was basically Broad City set in high school, if Abby and Illana were drug free, neurotic overachievers. Molly was kind of annoying and reminded me much more of a drama kid than a valedictorian.

I really liked your review @SnarkEnthusiast

[Empress1]

I don't think much of Billie Lourd as an actress but I thought she was really funny in this.

On 5/25/2019 at 11:34 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

(By the way, speaking of Superbad, the girl who plays Molly is Jonah Hill's sister.)

And the guy who played Nick is Cuba Gooding Jr.'s son.

I went to a very competitive private school with a 99% matriculation rate, and there were definitely kids who went to parties AND were in all the clubs and got good grades. I don't think anyone from my class swore off having a social life altogether. I found it odd that they'd be totally shocked that other kids from their class would be going to competitive colleges.

(Also, when I got to college - Columbia, where Amy was going! - the kids who had the hardest time adjusting socially were the kids who had been super sheltered in high school. My next-door neighbor freshman year almost died of alcohol poisoning and ended up dropping out after sophomore year; she came from a very conservative immigrant family and had never done ... really anything before, so she went completely buck-wild once she was free from supervision and couldn't handle it. I have no idea what happened to her.)

On 5/24/2019 at 8:19 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

The shot of Amy swimming under the water and tracking everyone from their legs to reveal Molly and Amy's crushes making out (a great twist!) was great cinematography and built a nice tension.

I loved that scene. The music was great, as well as the cinematography.

On 5/24/2019 at 8:19 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Their sex scene was really cute and realistic until she freaked out after the puking incident, which struck me as an abruptly cold and nasty reaction.

I definitely would not want to continue having sex if someone threw up on me, and if I was in a bathroom I'd probably jump in the shower too. I found it weirder that the girls were nude except for their bras. Carrie Bradshaw/Sarah Jessica Parker did this too and I know it's because the actresses aren't comfortable with nudity, which is their right, but it always takes me out of a sex scene. I found it particularly odd with this scene because it seemed like you could have filmed it in such a way that their breasts wouldn't show.

I did like that Amy's sexuality wasn't central to the story - she wasn't struggling with it, she just wanted to find someone to have sex with like any other horny teenager. I found it VERY weird that Gen Z teenagers who came of age in the age of constant free internet porn would never have looked at it before, though.

[AimingforYoko]

Gigi was the one who should've gone to jail, because Billie Lourd flat stole this movie.

I've been a huge fan of Kaitlyn Dever since Justified. I commented on the A.V. Club that I hope she socked away enough from that terrible Tim Allen show to be choosy about her scripts. This was a  very good first leading performance. 

Beanie was also very good in the broader role. Her facial expressions were awesome.

On 5/24/2019 at 7:19 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Their sex scene was really cute and realistic until she freaked out after the puking incident,

If you puke on me today, as an adult, your feelings are going to be the last thing on my mind. As a teenager, forget it.

On 5/24/2019 at 7:19 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

I was surprised they went with her sleeping with her (verified legal) student,

Student? Or former student? Because one is very different from the other.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

This was arguably the most disappointed I have ever been going to see a movie.

I was hoping for at least some sense of a deep bond.  Well, Square Pegs, this was not.

There was almost zero real-ness to the settings, the pace, and the periphery characters.  For me, there must be at least something that ostensibly resembles these in real life.  The archetypes did represent some forms that were recognizable.  

I get the motivation for the triple-twist shock scene in the bathroom.  Points for trying.  But, Molly, of alllll people, being wholly ignorant of others going to the elite of the elite schools?  She would have had that entire situation scoped out closer than an electron microscope on a sample slide.  

How hilarious that they were slipped a roofie/Mickey Finn on the yacht!  Ya don't get comedy like that anymore!!!!!!  

Getting hit over the head with the various permutations of sexuality and the PhD-levels of understanding the teens all exhibited?  Priceless.  In all sincerity, I was hoping there would be some genuine bathos generated by the Director, Wilde.  Teen hormones are classically a minefield as it is.  Make me care (within a given movie).  I was supposed to get "all the feels" for the lonely rich kid and his unrequited love/sex life?  He was a caricature the entire time before the reveal.

The whole movie was a giant caricature.  

If you give me one, I offer my most heartfelt MALALA!* that you not waste your time or treasure on this film.  

*In the movie, a wish that must be honored.

Edited May 28, 2019 by Lonesome Rhodes

[ellenr33]

20 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Gigi was the one who should've gone to jail, because Billie Lourd flat stole this movie.

I've been a huge fan of Kaitlyn Dever since Justified. I commented on the A.V. Club that I hope she socked away enough from that terrible Tim Allen show to be choosy about her scripts. This was a  very good first leading performance. 

Beanie was also very good in the broader role. Her facial expressions were awesome.

If you puke on me today, as an adult, your feelings are going to be the last thing on my mind. As a teenager, forget it.

Student? Or former student? Because one is very different from the other.

Billie Lourd was also the performance that I loved! 

[AnnieHeights]

I was on the fence about this movie.....loved both of the lead girls......I adore the kid who played Jared!  The girl who played Hope (the hookup of Amy) looked just like a young Liv Tyler.  I did not think Ryan was cute at all (agreed with the above poster).  Parts of the movie were funny but nothing spectacular.  It was worth seeing but nothing I would watch again.        

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

The whole movie was a giant caricature.  

If you give me one, I offer my most heartfelt MALALA!* that you not waste your time or treasure on this film. 

I was more than happy to spend my time and treasure on it, just to offer an alternate opinion. I found the two lead actresses highly engaging and the directing quite skillful - it didn't feel like a caricature to me any more than every other movie ever made. 

Loved the music, too.

[Ms Blue Jay]

It's a 97% on RottenTomatoes, so that's very much the dominant critical opinion.

I thought it was good, but not "great".  It's getting way overhyped on social media, like the way Lady Bird was.

I really really like Kaitlyn Dever, but for me Beanie was just okay.

I liked "Love Simon" better than this one, personally, but it was still pretty good.

[Robert Lynch]

On 5/28/2019 at 2:38 PM, AnnieHeights said:

I was on the fence about this movie.....loved both of the lead girls......I adore the kid who played Jared!  The girl who played Hope (the hookup of Amy) looked just like a young Liv Tyler.  I did not think Ryan was cute at all (agreed with the above poster).  Parts of the movie were funny but nothing spectacular.  It was worth seeing but nothing I would watch again.        

The Jared actor plays the older brother who is tortured constantly by the younger brother in the National Lampoon Vacation remake from 2015.

[Glory]

I liked this! There were parts where I was wheezing I was laughing so hard. The hair masks and the pizza car where the stand out for me! 

But I related to these girls so much. I was so academic in high school (Model UN what?) and it really spoke to me. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

6 hours ago, Glory said:

I liked this! There were parts where I was wheezing I was laughing so hard. The hair masks and the pizza car where the stand out for me!

That was probably my favorite scene.  It took me a minute to realize they were hair masks, and the way the pizza guy interacted with them was hilarious.

[AimingforYoko]

20 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

and the way the pizza guy interacted with them was hilarious.

The payoff later just enhanced the bit.

[tennisgurl]

I liked this a lot, it was a really good coming of age story, and I thought the main girls had great chemistry together. They really reminded me of a lot of girls who were in the English department my first few years of college. So many berets and Sylvia Path quotes. 

I liked the whole Odyssey of them going from party to party, and Molly realizing that she spent so much time judging her classmates and trying to make everyone think she was so smart, that she never even got to know them. Just about every person they met in the first act ended up coming into the story again later, even the pizza guy. 

The whole sequence of Annie swimming was really wonderfully shot, and the music was really great, it was just a beautiful scene, even if it dd end in teen heartbreak. 

Billie Lourd really stole every scene she was in, now this is how you use your Billie Lourd properly.

So its basically Superbad but with two girls, and less date rape subplots.  

Edited June 5, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Shannon L.]

Aside from a few laughs and a believable chemistry between Molly and Amy (even though I agreed with Amy during their fight. I was thinking the same thing!), I didn't like the movie very much.  I pretty much agree with everything @Lonesome Rhodes said. 

On 5/27/2019 at 6:52 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

1.  For me, there must be at least something that ostensibly resembles these in real life.  The archetypes did represent some forms that were recognizable. 

2. He was a caricature the entire time before the reveal.

3. The whole movie was a giant caricature. 

1.  Yes, I agree. I kept thinking "An entire movie of people like this?  Really?"  And don't get me started on the two gay kids.  Over the top much?

2.  I liked what I saw after the reveal.  I wish I'd seen even a hint of that instead of what they gave us. Again, way over the top.  The only over the top character I liked was Gigi.  I got a kick out of her.  When they had the serious scene with the rich kid, and he mentioned that he looks after her, I found myself wishing they'd explain more. 

3.  Exactly.  If you want to see a ridiculous teen comedy, with a mix of both caricatures and a good dose of reality, watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

On 5/28/2019 at 11:38 AM, AnnieHeights said:

 The girl who played Hope (the hookup of Amy) looked just like a young Liv Tyler. 

I thought she looked like a young Gabby Hoffman.

On 6/4/2019 at 1:15 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

That was probably my favorite scene.  It took me a minute to realize they were hair masks, and the way the pizza guy interacted with them was hilarious.

I thought the pizza guy was hilarious. 

[Traveller519]

Given the recent explosion of coming of age films we've experience over the past 3-4 years (Moonlight, The Edge of Seventeen, Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, Love Simon, The Florida Project, and Mid90s, and more) I wasn't feeling the hype for Booksmart, it just felt like well worn territory.

So upon watching it, I very much appreciated the Gonzo take on the coming of age story as opposed to the more grounded take of its contemporaries. If your the type of movie watcher who requires all of your non-SciFi and Fantasy to reflect what could really happen, I fully understand if this movie isn't for you. But that's what I enjoyed about it.

The premise, the character call-backs, and the execution all felt not of this society, and that got me into it. I genuinely laughed throughout the movie, and bought all the interpersonal relationships (which would never be as high-functioning as they appear...obviously).

Beanie Feldstein's faces throught the movie deserve their own kind of award. Kaitlyn Devers delivered an absolutely emotion performance, and Bille Lourd... god damn.

I'll absolutely watch it again

[Browncoat]

Finally got to see this last night, and I loved it!  I even liked the drug trip/Barbie doll bit.  I was skeptical of that at first, but seeing them walk out of the house all stiff-legged and jerky like the dolls really sold it for me. 

Loved the pizza guy lecturing them on getting in cars with strangers.  LOVED the hair masks!  I thought that was terribly clever. 

Gigi was the best, though.  Randomly popping up, y'know, everywhere.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nomination:

Best Comedy

[ElectricBoogaloo]

BAFTA nomination:

Original Screenplay - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
 

[choclatechip45]

I just saw this and I liked everything about this movie except for the weird drug Barbie bit. I thought it was weird how Molly didn't think the same kids in her classes would attend prestigious schools. Most of the kids from my high school who partied went to the best schools.