2019 In Review: Booksmart

SUPERSMART

(It’s like John Hughes and Judd Appatow had a baby)

AKA: One of the Best High School Comedies of the Modern Era


More than a decade later this is perhaps the complete antithesis to Superbad.



* * * * *
 
 Comedy has not been the same since The Hangover.Household comedians have been growing stale, shitty rom-coms are still shitty, and filmmakers have continued to pass off insufferable, formulaic gags for cheap laughs. But then Olivia Wilde came along and proved the whole genre wrong.
  Make no mistake when people hype it up, Booksmart is not only legitimately hilarious, but it’s also the most innovative and genuine comedy about young people to come along in LITERAL years. Not since Superbad have high school kids been portrayed as raunchy as they are righteous, but despite it being as filthy as it is funny, the film’s also naturally progressive with a deep heart to wear on its sleeve, and Wilde captures an astronomically rich character development that hasn’t been seen since the likes of John Hughes.
  In the age of the modern comedy, this movie is a goddamned GOLDMINE to be ranked with high school comedy classics besting the likes of Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You in its unimaginable capability to become an instant cult comedy, cutting deeper than just its protagonists (the ever charming Amy and Molly). As for those protagonists, Kaitlyn Dever (Amy) and Beanie Feldstein (Molly) bring out some of the most genuine and comedic performances of 2019 and beyond. Even aside from the flip-flop of the dual roles (Molly being the assertive raunch and Amy being the sensitive empath), the girls nearly mirror Seth and Evan’s Superbad chemistry in that unbreakable BFF bond, which is not only fucking precious but it takes a deeper slice into the dynamic of their characters, especially by the “big party” third act.
  But Booksmart is genuinely smarter than prior comedies in its ability to not just establish two believable protagonists, but an ENTIRE ensemble of high school characters who nearly all have an emotional character arc explored and come full circle by the time the school year has ended and he partying has died down. There’s an earnestness to Wilde’s direction in her ability to flip-flop audience expectations in how characters play out; the popular bitches are actually profoundly broken, the rockstar dudes are really dorks; most of the characters have ulterior motive, a second agenda, and nearly EVERYONE is vulnerable. Not since Mean Girls has a cast of high school kids been so lovable. For fuck’s sake, Billie Lourd is SO goddamned funny in this movie that Wilde wrote MORE SCENES FOR HER.
  It cannot be stressed enough how fundamental the chracter arcs are for this being a fucking COMEDY. Yes, the film bleeds Appatow in its ability to throw bro-humor and party shenanigans in a tango with heartfelt themes of getting older (and equally coming to terms with how much it sucks), but goddammit Wilde is taking a slice of the audience’s SOUL with this beautiful piece of progressive pulp. Wilde is ten steps ahead of every filmmaker trying to be proactive in her progression because she understands we’re in 2019 and treats the audience with the respect of living in 2019.
  Characters are outright lesbians, theater kids aren’t just gay but they throw murder-themed costume parties, the cool kids are scumbags, but they end up being likable. Expectations are out the window. Wilde isn’t just trying to tear down stereotypes in bringing these themes to light, she's also projecting these themes as a force to push legitimate character development forward, which for cinema to reach such a state of cultural acceptance is the breath of fresh air we didn’t even realize we needed. 
  AND THIS IS A COMEDY.
 And folks, these themes; these arcs, they’re so goddamned significant beyond the fact that the movie is simply fucking hilarious; it’s also flat-out absurd. For crying out loud, there’s an extended stop-motion animated sequence where characters become Barbie dolls after a bad acid trip. 
  Sure Wilde is going for the audience’s heart with a third act that will shock audiences, then dare to make them cry as much as they’re going to smile, but at the end of the day Wilde is here to remind folks that this is absolutely a comedy first, and we are here for it.
WE NEED MORE COMEDIES LIKE THIS
WE NEED MORE BILLIE LOURD

*10 points to Billie Lourd*25 points to Beanie*25 points to Dever*50 points to Wilde

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