Get the party started: a "Booksmart" review

High school: what a time to be alive. It's been a year since I graduated, but I still hold a candle to all the great moments, the bad ones, everything, really. It all shaped me into who I am today. Granted, I'm going to have to cut ties to the emotional effects some of the memories still have on me; there's a lot more of my life left that's going to help me grow. But for now, fresh out of my first year in college, high school still feels a little close.

Part of what drew me to Booksmart once I realized this was a film driven by women (why the men had to be thrown out first in the trailer, I will never know) was that its two leads felt like me, kids so in sync with academia that they never realized other kids who weren't part of that were still doing well. I was so attached to my work and juggled the hobbies alongside it, not really connecting the dots that those who didn't take school as seriously could still be successful. After that, this film looked like a lot of fun, and I wanted to remember how hectic high school could be, albeit in a late night party haze that I never partook in.

What a wild ride this film was. Despite some predictable buddy comedy beats involving romance, its cinematography, wonderful acting, and hilarious writing all capture the end of high school in its jubilant and glorious rush, having so much fun along the way. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are believable best friends as the two leads, and their chemistry easily bounces off the rest of the cast. Their journey over one night is hysterical and eye-opening, embracing the people once thought to be morons and the experiences that may never happen again. I was laughing every other line and rooting for these two girls to have the time of their life, which they most certainly did. Booksmart is a decisive movie, one that unapologetically embraces its cliches and shows how they're so much more. It's the film friends huddle around TVs for at sleepovers, one to talk about and cherish among its demographic for years to come. Lady Bird did much the same two years ago, cutting deep into the pain of being a teenager. Booksmart acknowledges it, celebrates it, and is just as effective. If a smile is ever needed, pick this one up, whether through a ticket or stream (depending on where you live).

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Amy and Molly have almost done it. Just one more day, and they'll be officially done with high school and all the neanderthals that populated that space. They're going to Ivy Leagues, where all their hard work will pay off. But it turns out that they won't be alone. Those neanderthals are coming with them to the big leagues, and Molly is absolutely horrified by the prospect of that. In order to become acquainted with the experiences they missed, Molly convinces Amy to go to the last big bash of the year. Maybe Amy will finally be able to get closer to the girl she's had a crush on for a while. Maybe Molly will confess that there's something she's drawn to within the popular circle. Or maybe the ride to the party may take longer than intended, with several detours along the way. Regardless, it's the night of their lives, until the party comes to a grinding halt.

As you can guess, Booksmart is an absolutely wild ride from start to finish. The shenanigans these girls get into, from infiltrating a pizza man's car to get a party address to crashing a murder mystery extravaganza, are the stuff for legends. Aside from a zinger-filled and raunchy script, what holds this movie together is the dynamic between its two leads, Amy (played by Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (played by Beanie Feldstein). Dever and Feldstein have this wonderful chemistry that works for this type of buddy comedy: intimate like the best kind of friends, snappy like the snarkiest of late night laughs. Olivia Wilde, making her directorial debut with this project, had the two actresses live together over the course of filming, and the bond Dever and Feldstein share because of that is one that comes through so vividly. When the film's opening music number had them dancing outside Molly's apartment, a smile popped onto my face right away. When they complimented each other on how fabulous they were and how it wasn't allowed, I laughed. It's the kind of beautiful relationship I aspire to have outside of the one with my brother. Other characters, such as Noah Galvin's thespian who pronounces Barcelona "Bar-the-lona" and Billie Lourd and Skyler Gisondo's rich and incredibly delusional specters (long live the almighty and powerful Gigi), support our main BFFs while doing their own thing, which is both fun and hilarious in its own right.

The cinematography for this movie is also stunning. The contrast between the day and night scenes stuck out the most. I like how the coloring is bright within the school during the last day of classes, but by the time the night is upon the kids, the world takes on this nice dim light, almost as if everything's being seen through a wine bottle. It's really nice and elegant, perfect for an indie comedy such as this. It also fits the costume styling. From the casual to the incredibly extravagant (looking at you, Gigi), everything fits into this film and creates this quintessential teen vibe that's fitting. It could almost be viewed as an artifact of 2019, befitting for something that feels as timeless as this right now.

The score consists of a lot of hip hop, which might be grating for some viewers who don't like the genre, but it adds the color that a lot of teens will relate to since the genre's resurgence in the mainstream. Plus, there are some gems hidden in the cracks. The song that plays during one of the most realistically awkward sex scenes (one involving two girls; WE LOVE THIS REPRESENTATION), Cautious Clay's "Cold War", is particularly great.

There are some nitpicks I have with this movie, though. The romantic development with both of our main characters, how their interests quickly fall into the people they weren't expecting, is definitely endemic to this kind of comedy, particularly with the relationship angle. I wasn't completely sold on the romance being necessary to this kind of plot; yes, the girls missed out on it and were crushing, but when the friendship is so integral to the piece, why throw romance on top of it? Also, for this amount of stuff to happen in one night, I can see some audience members having their disbelief stretched to the absolute limit. And then there's the doll scene.... Okay.

Regardless, Booksmart is absolutely riotous, the kind of movie that makes a night. Invite your friends and prepare to laugh out loud. This is a movie worthy of a celebration, a classic of this decade.