Booksmart (2019)

Booksmart is fickin' joyous. From the opening moments until the end, Booksmart will keep a smile on your face. It is a tribute to friendship at a pivotal moment in life and it unblinkingly celebrates that without irony or shame.

Booksmart is set on the last day of highschool for two best friends who have dedicated their school years to achieving high grades to set them up for the future. They decide they need to have one night of the kind of partying that highschoolers are known for and set out to achieve this. You know the genre. You've seen it a million times.

But never like this.

Booksmart doesn't play the games of the typical crazy night of highschool party tropes. Instead its characters do some fumbling and exploring but do so focused on what their strengths are as individuals. Every character in the film is a unique and redeeming figure. There aren't the typical bad buy stereotypes. Each character is given their reasons for being and their moments to shine. But the film's focus remains on the heart of the movie, the love between two friends who lift each other up and make each other stronger.

I loved that Booksmart didn't try to paint a "realistic" portrait of highschool with all the cruelty and heartbreak. Instead it tells a wishful story of a group of young people being themselves and being good to each other. This is a big part of the magic of the film, the way it takes the best of people and lets them shine. No one is perfect. Yes people make mistakes and sometimes step on each others' toes. But they react in the best way to it.

Booksmart is smart writing. Clever and hilarious Booksmart is the funniest film I've seen so far this year. A big part of this is the cast. Leads Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein nail it... I mean nail it... hitting exactly the right notes on the pathos and the humour. They are both riveting to watch and I could have been satisfied with just their roles. But the entire cast nails it. Just like the film empowers the side characters to a degree that most films don't, the supporting cast steps up and delivers. Especially strong is Billie Lourd in a scene stealing role. And stealing scenes in this cast is a truly impressive feat.

Hats off to Olivia Wilde in her directing debut. 

All around Booksmart is a joy. Make sure you see it. You will thank me later.

Booksmart
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Billie Lourd, Noah Galvin, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writers: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman