This article brought to you by Mountains Community Hospital
By Nathan Hurlbut
Every generation seems to have a quintessential high school movie to call its own. Arguably, this specific genre may have been officially jump-started way back in 1955 with a pair of classic movies. That was the year “The Blackboard Jungle” was released and introduced the world to Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock”. The movie was seen as catering to a rebellious, subversive attitude with teenagers, and was banned in some states. Meanwhile James Dean burst onto the screen that same year in “Rebel Without a Cause”, giving teenage angst a voice for a whole generation of young people.
It was obviously the start of something. Almost twenty years later, George Lucas took a nostalgic look back to his high school cruising days in Southern California in the early 1960’s with the classic film “American Graffiti” (1973).
Meanwhile filmmaker John Hughes practically created a whole career out of the coming-of-age high school movie a decade later with titles like “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986).
However, if you’re finding yourself coming of age more recently in this 21st century, these older movies may be less likely to strike a chord for you. Fortunately we have Greta Gerwig’s remarkable “Lady Bird” (2017), set at another California high school (this time farther north in Sacramento), to relate to a whole new generation. We can also now officially add the film “Booksmart” to that honored list.
Best friends Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) have spent their high school years working hard towards gaining college admission at the best school possible and avoiding any distractions in the process. On the last day of school they discover that many of their classmates, who spent more time having fun than taking their studies seriously, have gotten into the same prestigious colleges that they have. Distraught over feeling they wasted their entire high school years, they decide to cram four years of missed opportunities into one crazy night of graduation parties.
Much like the events of “American Graffiti” took place over a single unbelievably event-filled night, “Booksmart” similarly uses one of the last nights Molly and Amy have together as its time frame. The resulting chaotic series of events is a roller coaster ride of an evening that never has a dull moment.
The dialogue between the characters is so rapid-fire and witty that it forces you to try to keep up with the conversations. Feldstein and Dever bring an authentic high-school slang style to their conversations that feels up-to-the minute realistic. First-time director Olivia Wilde’s snappy editing also accentuates the dialogue delivery here, giving the movie an authentic, adrenaline-fueled high school atmosphere where everything is of the utmost importance.
Meanwhile Feldstein and Dever are pitch-perfect here as over-achievers Molly and Amy, and both actresses are fearlessly willing to portray their respective characters warts and all. Their rapport is instantly convincing, whether elated or strained, and leads to embarrassing and poignant moments that ring true, making the film utterly engaging in the process.
The film’s screenplay, courtesy of the team talents of Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman, also refuses to condescend to its high-school students. All of the film’s characters are painted with a sympathetic eye, making them into fully rounded individuals. Over the course of the movie’s running time, we come to realize everyone has their reasons for why they are the way they are, and it gives the film an emotional depth as well and a certain level of profound observation.
Not to mention that the movie is consistently hilarious. Watching all these youthful personalities clash as if high school was an adolescent battleground is not only marvelously funny, but is immediately reminiscent of the way one’s high school years actually feel. “Booksmart” merely updates the angst and delirium of these teenage years for a new generation that feels both up-to-the minute relevant and timeless at the same time.
Rated R.