Film of the Year: Booksmart
Olivia Wilde wows with directorial debut.
In the year that one Marvel phase ended and another began, where the Star Wars trilogy found it's conclusion and Jennifer Lopez actually starred in a good movie, the quirky comedy Booksmart shines bright. Olivia Wilde's directorial debut had been on her mind for a while but the director was insistant on getting this film right, including the right cast. In all honesty I never expected to love Booksmart as much as I did, especially when teen movies have really taken a dive in quality in recent years. However this coming of age film belongs right up there with the best. I'm talking Mean Girls, Clueless, Superbad, all the greats.
With graduation looming upon them Molly (Beanie Feldstien) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are confronted with the fact that all the people they assumed had slacked off in high school got into good colleges as well. With this knowledge they decide to combine four years worth of high school rebellion into one night. This all sounds like a cliche, and it totally would be if it weren't for Wilde's directing style and a simply phenomenal cast.
Beanie Feldstein plays overachiever Molly who has been laser focused on getting into the best college so much so that her only real friend is Amy. Kaitlyn Dever shows us her comedy prowess bringing Amy, a slightly insecure young woman, to life. Never is Amy's sexuality the butt of the joke, in fact Amy's sexuality is pretty much irrelevent to the entire storyline. There's no coming out, there's no establishing a character as gay, Amy is who she is. Feldstein and Dever actually lived together during the shooting of the film in order to better create the chemistry between their two characters. They wanted their on-screen friendship to come across as real and hoped that by living together they would develop that same chemistry. That familiarity with one another allowed them to create moments in the film that couldn't be scripted. The scene where Dever and Feldstein dance awkwardly outside Molly's house was improvised by the two of them and is one of the funniest parts of the movie. The entire young cast are relatively unknown and that was Wilde's vision for the film, in order to make it seem more real.
Booksmart isn't a film that shies away from the awkwardness of high school. You're supposed to cringe when Amy's hook up goes wrong, you're supposed to be slightly disgusted when Molly takes out her nightguard. And what makes you want to cringe? What makes you disgusted? That was you in high school, you had no clue what you were doing and Booksmart showcases that element of young adulthood so well. The cliche of going to a party to end all parties the day before you graduate is counterbalanced by the realness of everything else. You relate to Molly's need to be the best, and Amy's social awkwardnesss. You relate to how hard Jared tries to get Molly to notice him. That was your high school experience.
My favourite thing about Booksmart is without a doubt Billie Lourd as Gigi. I'm a huge fan of Billie Lourd and we know from her time on Scream Queens that she has fantastic comedic timing. Nothing could prepare me for her outstanding performance in this film. Lourd has described Gigi as who she would be if nobody was watching. Gigi is uninhibited, she does what she wants when she wants, she's the entire definition of 'I've got no strings to hold me down'. She is everywhere at once with little to no explaination, she'll jump off a boat when she's high and then two scenes later pop up dry. Without Gigi this film doesn't work. Because Gigi is who we all wish we were in high school, the woman who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and dances like no-ones watching.
Booksmart was voted Rotten Tomatoes best comedy film of the decade and I am supremely pissed that it has been overlooked at the Golden Globes Awards 2020 because this film deserves more recognition that it's recieving. Let's not forget that this is the first time Olivia Wilde has directed something of this calibar and for the film to recieve the critial feedback that it has is simply incredible. This is not only my film of 2019 but might also be my film of the decade. I urge you to watch, enjoy and worship Booksmart.
About the Creator
Grace Lynch
A film and media student with a love of travel and all things Disney.
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