Booksmart is Brilliant

Booksmart (2019)

Booksmart is one of the best teen movies in a while. It is hilarious from start to finish, with a stellar cast of young people and some comedy vets in supplementary roles. It follows the last day before graduation for a senior class, primarily two girls who sacrificed their social status in high school in order to be valedictorian and salutatorian. Unfortunately, they realize that the other kids in their classes, who partied on weekends and didn’t try as hard, were also going to great colleges and careers. When they have the revelation that they missed out on seminal teen experiences, they decide to go to the last high school party at the coolest kid’s aunt’s house. Hijinks ensue. It is an update of Superbad with smart girls in the driver seat instead of stupid guys. Booksmart is remarkably real and I found myself recognizing part of every character in my own students. At first I did not see the realism in the faculty of the school, because the principal was an Uber driver on the side and the “cool” teacher stopped by the party, but I forget how poorly some districts pay their staff and I keep seeing news stories about inappropriate teacher behavior, so I guess everything was real. Another aspect of realism is the underlying story of change. The movie takes place over the course of one day, but there is a looming darkness of the future hanging over every kid in the film. It does a great job of hitting these low notes without dampening the high notes from all of the jokes. I know that this movie will make very little money in its theatrical run, so I truly hope that this gains a cult following on Blu-ray and streaming services. Booksmart is clever, funny, heartfelt, and one of the best movies of the year. I give Booksmart 96% out of 100%, but I’m sure the main character would try to get me to give them an extra point so they can get an A+ instead of an A, but I don’t cave to grade grubbing.