Booksmart: This One's for the Girls

The high school teen comedy is a robust genre that we have enjoyed for several decades. And yet, with Booksmart, director Olivia Wilde has managed to give us an entirely fresh and delightful take on the genre. Written by women, edited by a woman, produced mostly by women, this movie conclusively proves that we haven't yet run out of stories to tell, and turns out women can be hella funny too. Who knew?

Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever star as Molly and Amy, high school seniors who have been best friends for their entire lives and don't need anyone else because they have each other. Brimming with feminism and ambition, they have kept out of trouble, never gone to any parties, and focused exclusively on academia so that they can get into top universities and ensure their lives are on a successful trajectory. Unfortunately, on the day before graduation, Molly discovers that all the other students that she thought were slackers also got into Yale and Stanford. Turns out you can party on the weekend and still get a 1560 on your SATs. Enraged by this knowledge, Molly decides that she and Amy are going to go to a party and have one last hurrah before graduation, even if they missed out on a whole load of hurrahs during high school. As you can imagine, hijinks ensue.

I won't go into details because everyone needs to treat themselves to this movie and let the hilarity wash over them in waves. Of course there's dalliances with sex, drugs, and all manner of weird teenagers trying to make their mark before they have to start afresh in college. But the core theme of this movie is the steadfast friendship between Molly and Amy that is going to survive any number of indignities. No catty women here - these are two girls who love each other dearly, support each other 100%, and believe wholeheartedly in each other's dreams. Has that therefore led to a co-dependent relationship that prevented them from getting to know other kids in school? Sure. But has that also helped them to blossom into kind and loving women, who despite their mistakes will turn out alright? You bet.

You would be hard pressed to find any villains in Booksmart. Unlike other high school comedies, the other kids aren't truly cruel. They merely have been intimidated by Molly and Amy for four years and assumed that the girls want nothing to do with them. Over the course of the movie, we get to see how these kids have fundamentally misunderstood each other, and the worst they could be accused of is indifference. It doesn't hurt that most of the supporting cast are fully realized characters, with mini backstories and different quirks they bring to the table. In one particularly notable scene, one of Molly's female classmates tells her that while she didn't care so much that the boys gave her a derogatory nickname based on her sexual exploits, she hated that the girls used that nickname too. This is a movie about female solidarity - we don't all need to be friends, but as Madeleine Albright said, there's a special place in hell for women who refuse to help other women.

Like any good high school romp, this movie also features an epic soundtrack that keeps things moving and an all-star supporting cast of "adults" who are the cream of the comedy crop. Jason Sudeikis plays the high school principal with an interesting side gig, while Will Forte and Lisa Kudrow have a fun turn as Amy's embarrassingly loving parents. Jessica Williams also gets the chance to shine as the girls' favorite teacher who doesn't end up acting in the way you quite expect. All told, this movie is firing on all cylinders. But word of warning: as much as watching this movie will make you laugh, you may find yourself unexpectedly tearing up as well. The final scenes encapsulate the relationship we all have with our best friends, and serve as a reminder that no matter what happens to you, your friends will always keep you going. Life is tricky, but as long as you have an Amy or a Molly by your side, you're gonna be just fine.