Does ‘Booksmart’ Define You?
By: Agents Of Change
Tags: Coming Of Age, Movie Review, Movies, Stereotypes, Humor

Does ‘Booksmart’ Define You?

Photo credit: Shutterstock, modified

By Jon Ochiai

First-time Director Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” is hysterical raunch, yet profoundly sweet. In the acutely aware screenplay by Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpen, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman, Olivia wistfully helms the coming of age tale of high school seniors Amy and Molly, wonderfully personified by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. BFFs Amy and Molly, are brilliant 18 year-olds embracing their inner and outer nerd. When Amy picks up Molly for school in her parents’ old model Volvo, the two breakout into their campy bad hip-hop dance routine. Kaitlyn and Beanie have the unique loving chemistry that constructs “Booksmart”.

In their focused studies, sacrificing any semblance of social life, Amy and Molly attain their cherished goals. Molly is going to Yale. Amy got accepted to Columbia University- she’ll spend the summer helping making tampons for underprivileged women and girls in Batswana. Yep, that’s Amy. The social conscious duo’s Heroes include Michelle Obama and Malala.

In 10th grade Amy came out as gay. Straight Molly leverages this. Molly hilariously tortures Amy’s parents Charmaine and Doug, funny clueless Will Forte and Lisa Kudrows. When Amy says she’s “going to the library with Molly”, she’s really going to the library with Molly.

About her possible college sex-life, Amy reminds Molly, “Dude, scissoring is not a thing.” Too funny. This too, defines the funny sweetness of their partnership. Amy is in love with iconoclast skateboard girl Ryan, played by charmingly flite Victoria Ruesga. Soon-to-be former Class President Molly is mad crushing on her Vice-President Nick, played by smooth handsome Mason Goodling. Yes, our girls value other things besides books.

One insightful narrative of “Booksmart” is stereotype. Amy is the unconsciously pretty savant, who follows Molly’s every wish, refusing to make waves. Kaitlyn is authentic gentle quirk and vulnerability. She’s the ‘straight-man’ to Molly’s comic diva. Kaitlyn is going to be a Star. Beanie’s Molly is the almost plus-sized Ivy League genius, who has forsaken popularity to proving that she’s better than everyone else. Her wit is her weapon. Therein lies karma.

Molly confronts the cruel gossip about herself in the girls’ restroom, “Everything, but her personality…” Yeah, Molly is going to Yale. So is Triple A, played by haute Molly Gordon, who scored 1560 on her SATs (1600 is perfect). Her tag refers to her reputation for rendering dudes “roadside assistance”. At least that’s what ‘others’ are saying. Compounding Molly’s chagrin: Stoner Tanner, played by Nico Hiraga, is going to Stanford on soccer scholarship, and slacker Theo, played by Eduardo Franco, is starting at Google with salary in the mid-six figures. They all didn’t take school nearly as seriously as Molly and Amy. Molly is totally: WTF?

So Molly enrolls Amy into one all-night party binge before Graduation. They’ll crash Nick’s Party. However, Amy and Molly don’t roll with the “cool kids”. They have no idea where the party is. Amy wants to make a move for Ryan. Molly wants a hook up with Nick. Here Director Olivia and Writers kind of go derivative “The Hangover”, yet in a good way. Olivia wisely sails raunchy seas with surprising heart.

There’s the signature loser party detour with Molly’s rich wannabe popular dude Jared, played by funny geeky Skyer Gisondo, and his overtly platonic companion Gigi, played by amazing Billie Lourd. Not surprisingly, nerds and drugs don’t mix- well. Using their hair as facial masks, Amy and Molly attempt to hijack the pizza delivery guy, who warns them not expose their phone password.

Watching the suffering heartbreak in Amy’s face emerging from the pool, I got it. Amy like all of us, just wanted to be loved, to fall madly in love. Kaitlyn’s Amy also wanted the same for her BFF Molly. At times Amy and Molly argue vehemently, that’s because they want the other to be happy. When Molly confesses to Amy that she had to “shove down” her feeling for Nick, possibly because of how she may occur, Amy says, “You don’t have to shove anything down!” That’s love. That’s seeing the other as greater than, when they don’t see it. That’s what makes “Booksmart” something special.

There are an awful lot of labels out there. Nerd. Jock. Princess. Smart. Beautiful. Not Pretty. Stereotypes and labels are just part of our deal. In Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart”, really we’re the ones who get to define who we are. Along with Olivia, Kaitlyn, and Beanie: We’re just saying.