Coming of age films, as a genre, strangely, is something I have grown more attached to over my time at university. Following the phenomenal Lady Bird, Eighth Grade and Call Me By Your Name ( Although, I’m not sure if that counts), Booksmart confidently reaffirms my faith in the genre. A surprising debut feature film from Olivia Wilde (House M.D, Tron: Legacy), Booksmart, starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, is an absolute delight!

In Booksmart , our protagonists Amy (Dever) and Molly (Feldstein) are in their final years at school and would be what we might call “nerds”. While the rest of their school certainly agrees with that term (including a highly exasperated principal played by Jason Sudeikis!), the audience feels quite differently. Wilde and writers Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman make every effort to divert our characters from stereotypes the audience might hold of a high school environment. While the film has drawn comparisons to Superbad, what, in my opinion, makes it far superior, is its treatment. Much like Bo Burnham in Eighth Grade, Wilde’s empathetic hand guides the audience through a genuinely surprising adventure in a seemingly familiar environment.

As Amy and Molly near their graduation, they come to the realisation that not having fun through their time at school has barely paid off, with all the other “cool” kids also having secured places at prestigious universities and internships. And here, we enter the film’s wild second act. Amy and Molly, determined to be able to say that they had fun at school, set out to attend one of their classmate’s parties. Unlike Superbad, Booksmart does not overly consider itself with the debauchery of the night. Instead, the film uses the wildness of the night to allow the characters to grow and providing for a surprisingly deep study of its two protagonists and their unique relationship. Our characters, through a single night, reevaluate the nature of their relationships, discover their sexuality (hilariously) and come to realise what is truly required of a school experience, all in ways that were genuinely surprising.

Through the night the audience meets a cornucopia of wildly interesting characters, all are so well written with no attempt at superficiality whatsoever. While films like this run the risk of supporting characters just being plain annoying, thankfully Booksmart does not make this mistake (a special shout out to Billie Lourd’s genius portrayal of the lovable Gigi). While the film is committed to the realism of the environment, it is brought to like by its occasional surreal moments, some of which are sure to have you aching with laughter.

I would need a whole other article to talk about how amazing Feldstein and Dever are in this film, but on a whole Booksmart is one ridiculously fun and surprisingly insightful ride. I found myself connecting with characters I would never be able to have a conversation with in real life and quite honestly start to feel a lot differently about a lot of people I went to school with. With a superb cast (and a great soundtrack ) , sharp and funny writing, this marvellous directorial debut from Olivia Wilde is a must watch.

RATING:

★ ★ ★ ★

You’ll like it if:

• You love coming of age films like Eighth Grade, Superbad, Perks of Being a Wallflower.
• You’re looking for a genuinely hilarious films to watch with your friends or special someone, that might actually make you connect with them just a little bit more.
• You’re looking for an insightful female led comedy, that thankfully isn’t in-your-face feminism.