From the outside Booksmart isn’t the type of film I’d usually be jumping to see, yes when I was younger I used to enjoy the usual American high school comedy full of crass humor, which is what I initially thought Booksmart was going to be.
However Booksmart is not this, although yes there are some hallmarks of American cringe humour mixed throughout, I found Booksmart to be extremely enjoyable with many surprises within.
Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut reveals a unique vision and confident direction. Although Booksmart’s initial premise feels very familiar with two unpopular highschoolers looking to have fun and fit in before going off to college, the film often surprises and subverts some of the usual high school tropes.
Our two leads Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein represent great casting decisions because damn do they work well together, with chemistry that is off the charts these two performances shine. They are joined by a great supporting cast of high school characters including Billie Lourd as well as some familiar faces as the few adults in the film such as Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte. Many of the supporting characters have some great moments to shine, specifically Lourd’s Gigi and my personal favourite Skyler Gisondo’ Jared.
Booksmart’s more surprising qualities also include it’s cinematography which was quite bold and interesting when compared to other American comedies as well as its great (and very loud) soundtrack.
I thoroughly enjoyed Booksmart, highly recommend!
Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia for the invite!
