Cinephile № 785 “Booksmart”

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “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.” -IMDB

Review: Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are the focus of the summer’s funniest movie. Directed by Olivia Wilde, this film has been my single most recommended film of the season. It is smart, funny, progressive, and female-focused; all things missing in the usual dance of men in tights who dominate the cinema. Arriving at such a belief didn’t take me long. Within the first 10-minutes of this movie about two friends focused on the future, I knew something was different.

Amy and Molly are modern, forward-thinking women. As long as they can remember, they have been focused on the future. To achieve their aspirational dreams, they have intently followed a certain path. They’ve achieved stellar grades., found themselves involved in the right clubs and activities, dismissed distractions, and avoided anything remotely resembling the high school experience. On the eve of their graduation, it has become apparent they will achieve greatness, but it is also abundantly clear they’ve missed the full experience. Thanks to some convincing from Amy, this…