Our take
Do you keep re-watching Superbad when you’re hungover? Next time you are, try the film that has been praised as ‘the female Superbad”: the amazing Booksmart. Yes, it’s coming-of-age comedy, but, like Superbad, it tried something a little different. Like its two main characters, one could say it’s a bit smarter than Greg Mottola’s seminal bromedy. Molly (Beanie Feldstein, incidentally, Jonah Hill’s younger sister) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are best friends, class presidents, and academic overachievers. Nice girls, too. With excellent grades in their pockets, they head off to college only to find that the same in-crowd from high school that was doing nothing but partying, now goes to the same college as them. Why, oh why, did they choose academic success over partying, when, clearly, they could have had both? On their last day in high school, now here’s a trope, they decide to make up for all the years of lost partying on one night. This sets off a raucous, raunchy, and wildly entertaining ride. And with a feminist twist!
What it won
Golden Globes
1 nom
BAFTA
1 nom
Spirit Awards
1 win
WGA
1 nom
The story
Two academic teenage superstars realize, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
Elsewhere
"A solid debut for Wilde, but really puts Dever and Feldstein on the map."
— Hannah Strong
"It's incredibly fun to watch again and again."
— Monica Castillo
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
Hilarious, handles some difficult topics very well, and despite being loud and theatrical, pretty true to life.
This movie is terrible and not at all based in ‘real life’. An amalgamation of Apatow-esque humor, poor character development, and an overindulgence of American politics, it falls flat both as a comedy and coming-of-age film, creating a completely forgettable experience.
Watch it and find out for yourself.
Can’t believe I wasted my time watching this. The movie completely missed reality and was try-hard. Disappointed it was rated 9/10.
Had such a blast watching this, don’t expect a true-to-life story but an hilarious ride nonetheless.
This one seemed thrown together and contrived, albeit a somewhat good way to kill a couple of hours to satisfy my curiosity.
Terrible!! Waisted 2 hours of my life. Why is this rated 9/10??
It was adorable and a fun time overall. Recommend!