This humble opinion is brought to by you T. K. Edwards
BOOKSMART – Rated R – 1 hr. 42 mins
Director: Olivia Wilde
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte
On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
NO SPOILERS
A lot of reviews are going to tell you that BOOKSMART is the “girl version” of SUPERBAD and that they are pretty much carbon copies of one another. My response to this is…yes, they are correct. BOOKSMART and SUPERBAD are almost identical movies. Now, I’m a big fan of SUPERBAD because I thought it was hilarious, smart, original and was destined to be an instant classic. Same goes for BOOKSMART now. It is just as good as SUPERBAD with only one difference…NO McLovin. BOOKSMART follows two best friends that are unapologetic to anyone, they speak their minds and have been considered “loners” since they were kids. These two girls are completely relatable to the audience because their vocabulary isn’t your typical CW Gilmore Girl sentences that seem to be just long enough to make listening to the conversation highly annoying the moment the characters open their mouths. No, these girls are “articulate cussers” that the audience can identify with because they don’t hold back anything and speak just like everyone else in the “real world”. BOOKSMART is hilarious from start to finish. The journey these characters go on is awesome and as basic as you can possibly get – two girls just trying to get to a graduation party. Random everyday problems like a phone running out of power, needing a ride to the party and dressing properly for the event are the issues these girls must face before making it to their ultimate goal. Olivia Wilde (yes that Olivia Wilde from such films as TRON: LEGACY, THE LAZARUS EFFECT, THE CHANGE-UP, COWBOYS & ALIENS, IN TIME, etc.) is the director of BOOKSMART and she proves she knows how to juggle real world comedy and drama at the same time. Although, there are moments in the film where the characters interact with each and overshadow the dialogue, but all in all this was a terrific first feature film debut for Wilde. She definitely deserves another shot at directing another major motion picture. As for BOOKSMART, my suggestion is to go see this one in theaters and be ready to laugh your butt off. It is so good from beginning to end and all the characters contribute to what I’m sure is going to be a sleeper summer hit that will turn into a classic everyone will be quoting later down the road – just like it’s mirror counterpart SUPERBAD. Until next time, thanks for reading.
P.S. – There is no post credit scene, but there is some audio played at the very end of the credits. It’s not worth sticking around for. You’re welcome.
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 