Booksmart marks the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde, and largely differentiates itself from the Superbads of the world with its feminist angle, presenting it within a heightened, slightly satirical fashion. We open with Beanie Feldstein's Molly, a compulsive overachiever who begins her days admiring her legendary female icons, and all while her motivational tapes tell her to "f---" the people who haven't worked nearly as hard as she has. But such devotions to studies, and strict prevalence for following the rules, has led her, and her best friend Amy played by Kaitlyn Dever, to miss out on the early rebellion of their teen years.
And so we find the key thematic strand running all the way through Booksmart, obsession with the future affecting your enjoyment of today. While those Molly thinks less of have managed to mix work with pleasure just fine, including one cruelly nicknamed "Triple A," her lack of experience has made her desperate to break out of that shell in the most drastic ways she can conjure up. Ditto for Amy, who's been out of the closet for two years now, but hasn't mustered up the courage to talk to her crush.
It's with that unhinged attitude, that society usually tends to negatively look at and frown upon, that Booksmart makes its most poignant stance: Sometimes a little rebellion is okay. If anything, taking opportunities to unleash those impulses can not only be good, but important. Having witnessed and in some cases felt such experiences, repressing those basic desires and shielding away from risk can in itself be a toxic habit, whose psychological effects may be more damaging on a person's wellbeing than any wild party. The film isn't always even with it, but that's honestly quite a bold choice for Booksmart to make, in that those occasional outbursts can not only be healthy, but productive.
Of course, a lot of the reason the film works so well is because of the insane talents of its leads. Beanie Feldstein is hilarious enough on her own, playing her role with a holier than thou level of condescension, often stymieing her enjoyment via her own overly analytical mindset, and playing well to broad comedy with her hilarious delivery of dialogue. But the real revelation is Kaitlyn Dever, playing the more sensitive and easily-led of the duo, whose biggest laughs come from the straight-faced bewilderment her friend leads her into, before shedding that self-conscious skin, and developing a more sarcastic bite to her performance. Together, they form a richly built chemistry that is easy, warm, and loaded with riotous interplay. They really feel like two friends who've had each other's backs for a long time, and that core friendship is absolutely infectious to watch, planting a smile that rarely left my face.
Elsewhere, Olivia Wilde proves a rock solid expert of her craft. While her handling does show the odd flicker of being *over* directed - especially in regards to editing and soundtrack choices, she knows how to make a film move and land a joke. She also gets some great work out of her actors, including her husband Jason Sudeikis in some awkward funny bits opposite the leads. But the most scene-stealing laughs belong to Billie Lourd, playing a puzzling and weirdly omniscient party girl, whose actions are completely unpredictable anytime she shows up, and had me in several fits. There are some really strong comedic set-pieces, including an extended stop-motion drug trip, and a crude recurring gag involving a panda doll.
Booksmart may not be a great debut for Wilde, but for the kind of central issues it addresses, and the effective gags it makes use of, it's a solid comedy showcase that makes her one to watch.
***1/2 / *****
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