Beanie Feldstein, left, and Kaitlyn Dever play overachievers.
Booksmart, the directing debut for actress Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy), is being hailed as the new Superbad. The movie centers on two high-achieving best friends, Molly (Beanie Feldstein, Lady Bird) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever, Justified) on their last day of high school. After devoting their four years to crushing academics and captaining extracurriculars, they realize their seemingly vacuous and frivolous classmates were partying and studying — and that they, too, are going to top universities like Yale, Stanford and Columbia. The night before graduation, they decide to have a night full of debauchery to prove they can be smart and fun.
I connected with these characters and the script, and I have some authority on this topic: I was someone who gladly avoided a party-filled social life in high school in favor of good grades and leadership positions in extracurriculars. However once I got to college, I realized that perhaps I had missed out on some life experiences.
The film, which is brilliant, hilarious and well-performed, highlights the so-called Type A female but in a more nuanced (and less stereotypical) way. Here are some of the things that Booksmart gets right.
We live by a strict code of values. As many driven people do, we live by our code of values: Work hard. Be strong. Be ethical. Be the best. In high school, this is magnified because many people haven’t existed outside of their own bubbles. Molly and Amy’s characters get frustrated when their screw-off classmates are being rewarded, despite not following the unwritten code for success. Our strict ethical code can also make us vulnerable to the brand of nasty high school judgment that Molly especially falls prey to early in the film and eventually subverts. Also, the film highlights the characters’ passion for social justice; they aren’t focused only on their own futures.
Just because we work hard doesn’t mean we’re incapable of socializing. Stereotypes of driven, young women have persisted in media forever. They materialize in politics (Hillary Clinton) and celebrity culture (Anne Hathaway). Most notably on film, Election’s Tracy Flick (played by Reese Witherspoon) is so obsessed with success, she alienates her peers and engages in ruthless and reckless behaviors. In Booksmart, the lead characters are more three-dimensional. They interact with other social circles, as they go from party to party (the rich kids, the theater nerds and the popular crowd). I also love that this genuine friendship between Molly and Amy is the centerpiece of the film. I appreciated that the film shows how the girls are able to connect with their peers without losing their unique and strong bond with one another.
We like cool shit. There’s a well perpetuated idea that try-hards or Type A women are square. While on some level that’s true (Molly and Amy are terrified of disappointing their parents and freak out when they find out they accidentally ingested psychedelic drugs), in many ways this film shows otherwise. The soundtrack, assembled by director Olivia Wilde, music supervisor Bryan Ling, and composer Dan the Automator, is bursting with innovative female-driven rap — from Santigold to Leikeli47 to Lizzo. From music to pop culture to books and fashion, Booksmart shows that smart girls are actually cool AF, with good taste.
Everything we’ve been led to believe since middle school is a lie (kind of). This film shows that an all-or-nothing mentality is still prevalent among young women, and it does a great job of disassembling it. Booksmart proves that you shouldn’t change who you are or try to minimize your drive. It’s actually quite the opposite: Take a moment to read the room, bring your special sauce, and engage with others. Many driven women have the idea that high school is something they have to survive to get where they want to go, and they only have one chance to nail it. I hope this film teaches current and future high schoolers they can find a balance between staying true to their values and enjoying an active social life.
