I confess that ‘My List' on Netflix is seemingly never-ending. Everything that even mildly grabs my attention gets added to that list. And for quite a while Booksmart was on it and now I only wish I had watched it sooner! If you're after something light, clever, and very very funny then don't waste any more time and get watching it now.
Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart follows two young girls, who on the last day of high school realise that spending all of their time on studying didn't get them any further than those who also had a good time. So with one night left to rewrite their high school years, the duo heads off in search of the biggest party to cram four years of fun into just a few hours.
The two friends in question are Amy (Kaitlyn Dever from Unbelievable) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein from Lady Bird) and given their lack of experience in the fun department, simply getting to the party proves to be their biggest obstacle.
There are a couple of false starts, wrong addresses, dodgy run-ins but ultimately the girls get there in the end. But will it be all they had hoped or will the party prove to be undoing of their years of friendship?
Booksmart has been compared endlessly to Superbad but it's been so long since I've seen that film that I barely noticed the similarities. For me, it was the onscreen combo of Dever and Feldstein that brought the whole film to life. They just worked so well together and with the smart, clever script it had me laughing out loud. Characters played by Jason Sudeikis and Jessica Williams, Skyler Gisondo, Molly Gordon (Life of the Party) and Billie Lourd just added to the quirkiness and rounded out the film.
As easy-breezy movies go this one is a winner. Sure, it's a little predictable and some of the scenarios stretch credulity but it's not a documentary, it's a light-hearted fun friend movie. So in that respect, it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a coming of age comedy that ticks all the right boxes.
