Booksmart Review

May 29, 2019 at 3:46am
By Jason Stettner

This is literally a perfect balance of comedy, and dramatic elements to tell one compelling story. This was just hilarious, while still being deeply moving at the same time. I didn’t expect anything too wild going in, but was constantly surprised and delighted by each scene. The heart of this picture is the two leads, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein).

They have incredible chemistry, performed every scene to perfection and nailed each emotional scene. This is a coming of age experience where these two girls aim to get out of their closed off shells. The general narrative follows the two realizing that they lived life with too much of an academic focus. On the night before their high school graduation, the two decide to let loose and hit the hottest party.

They both have their own goals, but are always close and spend the night working together to get to that party. A series of wild events take place, and the two question many aspects of their lives. What they mean to each other, and how others see them.

Aside from being just a lovely, and totally funny story this was beautiful to look at. It was well shot, with many vibrant and exciting scenes. Nothing was wasted, and with just the right balance of music everything came together. There was a strong supporting cast here, and many smaller moments layered throughout.

It surprised at almost every turn, and it did so in many unique ways. They made sense, but at the same I didn’t see them coming which was great. It gets wild, feels realistic and aims to deliver something you haven’t seen before. I was laughing the entire time through, and the situations kept getting more out there. At the same, it was grounded and brought in impactful emotional moments. I didn’t really expect those, or for them to hit the right notes.

The Conclusion

Booksmart is a perfect film, it’s both funny and emotional as it hits just the right notes to make one compelling movie. It was a touching film, that was deep while still being hilarious. I laughed the whole way through, while still really feeling those more intense moments when they did arrive. The soundtrack was excellent, fit the theme and really worked well with the main target audience. It flowed well, and the characters had amazing chemistry.

The two leads were beyond perfect for one another, both having separate issues while working naturally with one another. Their positive riffs with one another were great. Even the supporting cast was stellar, despite some of the big names only being in it for moments at a time. I was also really surprised by Jared (Skyler Gisondo) as that character had some real depth. Even Gigi (Billie Lourd) was fun as a main element of events. This movie is just great, I don’t want to spoil anything as it is a treat to take in. It will surprise you, keep you laughing and just entertain the entire way through.

Booksmart Review at Theater with Standard Viewing

Rating Overall: 10