Booksmart * (2019, Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Skyler Gisondo) – Movie Review

The 2019 film Booksmart motors on fast-talking, fast-moving smart and sassy energy. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play besties Amy and Molly to the full-on max.

If this is the American booksmart Class of ’19, the future looks grim indeed, the world is in a terrible mess and we are all surely doomed. Smarten up your act, guys, and maybe clean up your act a little bit too.

Outsiders Amy and Molly are obnoxious America teenage best friends, who decide to cram four years of drug- and sex-fuelled fun into their last night before their high school graduation. They are super-brainy and high achievers (we are told, though there is no evidence for this) but have for four years of school put hard work before sinful pleasure – now that would be an interesting movie! – and discover that their even more obnoxious classmates have been cleverly mixing lesson with fun all along. Oh, ouch, now that is a shame!

Booksmart motors on fast-talking, fast-moving smart and sassy energy, but it is splattered out all over the place and mostly in all the wrong places, with some illogical, arbitrary developments strung together just for laughs as a coherent plotline. You believe in Amy and Molly’s bestie relationship. That is the film’s centre and heart, so that is well and believably done. Amy is a reasonably interesting role model as a young lesbian, but there are a couple of ghastly gay male stereotypes to put up with, up with which we should not need to put.

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play Amy and Molly to the full-on max. You can’t fault their breathless performances, though someone has forgotten to tell them to stay this side of sympathetic. Did they even try to make their characters sympathetic or appealing? Maybe not, maybe that is the point. These girls should be grounded by their stupid parents (Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte are completely wasted) for ever.

Skyler Gisondo’s key performance as the smug, rich Jared starts bad, then fortunately smoothes out as his character changes dramatically, or at least Amy and Molly’s perception of him changes dramatically. Interestingly, he is one of the five main characters who turn out not to be what they initially seem. So much for how smart Amy and Molly are. These characters may represent the state of America today but they seem like aliens from a distant planet landed on Earth to test our tolerance.

Jason Sudeikis is also wasted and not very good as Principal Brown, Jessica Williams cuts little ice as provocative teacher Miss Fine, and Mason Gooding is just there left to smirk on screen as school hunk Nick.

Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Katie Silberman’s screenplay offers some funny lines and funny situations, but it doesn’t know the rough from the smooth. Sometimes the screenplay pushes a bit too hard into a bit of a mucky, murky area where laughter is scarce. It is rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking – all involving teens.

Seriously, I was quite looking forward to a film where Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte actually had something to do. After all, they have comedy clout and appear notably in the trailer.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Movie Review

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