Booksmart

So I was looking for a movie this past Memorial Day. I thought the choice was between Brightburn and John Wick: Chapter 3. But I was curious and picked a third option, Booksmart. This marks the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde and the realization of a screenplay by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman. Was it worth it? Read on to find out.

Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are overachievers and proud of it. Why shouldn't they be? They're going to Ivy League! But on their last day of high school, Molly finds out that her slacker classmates are also going to Ivy League. Molly realizes how little she and Amy had fun during high school. So Molly decides to bring Amy along to the cool kids' party. All they know is that Molly's crush Nick (Mason Gooding) is hosting it and Amy's crush Ryan (Victoria Ruesga) will be there.

But they don't know where "there" is. Much of the movie is their odyssey across Los Angeles to locate Nick's house. A series of rude awakenings await them once they get to Nick's. And it all plays out for 105 minutes.

It's certainly a crazy odyssey. But it does wonders to dispel the notion that first impressions are everything. I've already mentioned the inciting incident. But there's one of the best supporting players, Jared (Skylar Gisondo), a seemingly shallow rich kid. He turns out to be a good guy despite his shallowness. His best friend, Gigi (Billie Lourd), the comic highlight, is too loopy to be a snobbish rich kid. Molly and Amy even learn more about their teacher, Ms. Fine (Jessica Williams) and their principal, Mr. Brown (Jason Sudeikis).

Molly and Amy are a likable pair of co-leads. Their whole night is a collective coming-of-age story. While Molly learns not to be so domineering, Amy learns to be assertive. They make some fumbles and utterly stupid decisions, but they never lose their audience sympathy. Their second act fight is devastating even when the film mutes their harshest words. Their reconciliation leads to one last crazy escapade.

Editor Jamie Gross show us how crazy it is. Molly and Amy's classmates end their last school day with wild partying before their parties. The girls' first stop, Jared's party, ends with a frantic encounter with Gigi and a security guard. Their next stop finds them thrust into a murder mystery party and a bonkers drug trip. Nick's party has an impressive tracking shot, which begins with Amy swimming in the pool and ending with her quarrel with Molly. Jason McCormack's cinematography is also highlighted by an alluring color scheme. Dan the Automator, best known as a producer for the Gorillaz, sets the movie to an energetic score.

Booksmart's an insightful story of teenage confusion and frustration. It's also a wild and sometimes odd film. You'll have much to learn if you can withstand the craziness. See it if it's playing locally. It's worth it. Let's hope it's not ignored early next year like last year's Eighth Grade ultimately was.