Every generation has a high school comedy they can relate to. I personally remember the first time I viewed Superbad and praised it for its ability to channel the feelings, emotions, and hijinks of high school seniors for that generation. While the 2010s have had many great coming of age stories, most recently 2018’s Eighth Grade, the decade has failed to properly shine a light on teenage antics, and as the decade comes to a close, that film has finally arrived in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart.
The irony regarding my feelings towards Superbad is that not since that film has a high school comedy handled and portrayed how exhilarating it feels to act out at that young age while capturing the feelings and immediate regret kids have when making teenage mistakes the way Booksmart can. While the film joins the ranks of Clueless, and Mean Girls as female-driven high school comedies, the film is quite profound as it attempts to tell the story of friendship and focus light on the everyday “good girl” who plays it safe, but have their one opportunity to act out on their last night before graduation.
For Wilde’s directorial debut, choosing comedy was a bold risk. On the Reel Chronicles podcast, my colleagues and I have mentioned the difficulty with directing a great comedy film. Comedy falls in line with horror as a genre that doesn’t get a lot of respect within the industry, and those within that same industry fail to look at incredible talent needed to create a classic comedy. Wilde knocks it out of the park as her choices for Molly and Amy’s characters throughout including the quintessential way on how not to hide your identity during a stickup. Along with that, one of the most laugh out loud moments of the year involving a cell phone, porn, and a charger that will not be forgotten for quite some time.
Another healthy choice by Wilde is to change focus from any male within the film obsessing about losing their virginity, and forms of objectification of females in their class, to introducing one of its leads as a lesbian while presenting a viewpoint of female sexual discovery. Kaitlyn Dever’s Amy delivers a strong performance as a young teen who attempts to discover her individuality while removing herself from the cliché best friend who says yes to everything. While Amy’s sexual discovery is part of her growth, the film does a great job of focusing away from the one night hook up and more of a development of a potential relationship and whether a friendship can withstand a night of partying and long distance.
In regards to her co-star, Beanie Feldstein, she may be following the same trajectory as her brother Jonah Hill, who entered the limelight in 2007’s Superbad. While I first viewed her in a supporting role in 2017’s Ladybird, in this her first leading role, she is hilarious. Feldstein incorporates her brand of physical comedy while adding a dramatic, serious nature to her take on Molly, similarly to her supporting role in Ladybird.
If there is one flaw in Wilde’s debut is her inability to develop more of the supporting characters in the film. While Billie Lorde is downright hysterical in her role as Gigi, she along with the rest of the large supporting cast is hardly delved into. While the focus should primarily be on Molly and Amy, I would have loved to see a bit more revolving around the supporting players.
Despite the small flaw, Booksmart is nothing short of a home run for Wilde. Along with great directorial choices, the film’s two great performances provide tons of chemistry and a lot of laughs and should be the start of cinephiles gaining anticipation for any film directed by Olivia Wilde.
