Review of Booksmart (2019) by Catherine447 — 23 Aug 2019

A whipsmart and genuinely heartwarming film that follows two young ladies (played magnificently by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) on the cusp of adolescence. Booksmart is loaded with laughs and will have you truly in stitches with just how funny it is, but at its core there's so much care, nuance, and heart at the center of this beautiful teen comedy.

It's vulgar and obscene in nature, but you begin to truly develop a closeness to Amy and Molly and by the end of the film you'll probably want sequels and merchandise surrounded around the two - Beanie and Kaitlyn are stars giving two of my favorite performances of the year.

But the nucleus of Booksmart is first time director Olivia Wilde. Olivia Wilde uses the camera like a genuine master. Wilde is never being too intrusive or judgemental of her characters, it's near perfect direction and it gives the film this raw tenacity and authenticity that juxtaposes perfectly against the ludicrous comedy and immaturity of it all.

The fantasy sequences are truly dazzling and cartoonish which add to the sense of ridiculousness of the film. Although it does get quite messy narratively, Booksmart is a gorgeously rendered film that delicately balances moments of sentimentality and bold female comedy that exceeds the typical cliches of its genre by being fresh and carefully stitched together by a truly talented team.