BOOKSMART: Olivia Wilde Aces Her Directorial Debut

Plenty of actors and actresses have dabbled in directing, but Olivia Wilde just put the rest to shame with her first feature, Booksmart. Not only is her directorial debut the funniest film of the year so far, but it’s also one of the most important coming-of-age movies we’ve seen in a long time.

A Comedy In A Class Of Its Own

Molly (Beanie Feldstein) is student-body president, valedictorian, and Yale-bound. Her best friend and salutatorian Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) is about to spend time volunteering in Botswana before heading off to Columbia. The duo studied hard for years and all their effort paid off. Until Molly discovers that they’re not the only ones in their graduating class who got into some of the top schools in the country.

When Molly overhears a trio of “burnouts” talking about her in a gender-neutral bathroom, she confronts them. She boasts about her Ivy League future and tells them she hopes they’re happy with wherever they end up next year. To Molly’s surprise, Tanner (Nico Hiraga) is headed for Stanford. Theo (Eduardo Franco) isn’t going to college because he was offered a coding job at Google where he’ll be making six figures to start. Most shocking of all, Triple A (Molly Gordon), the chick with the bad reputation, will also be attending Yale. In utter disbelief, Molly contests, “That’s impossible. You guys don’t even care about school!” But Triple A enlightens her, “No, we just don’t only care about school.”

This news hits Molly like a ton of bricks. She and Amy chose to focus on studying, but the rest of their class was able to party and still get into the same schools. She decides they need to prove to their classmates that they know how to have fun before graduation. Thus begins Molly and Amy’s quest to cram everything they missed out on into their final night of high school. Obviously, hilarity ensues.

A+ For Authenticity

Olivia Wilde took a bold swing with her directorial debut by opting for a high school comedy. While there’s no shortage of such movies, Wilde eradicates everything problematic about the high school comedies of the past in order to give us the movie we deserve.

Last year’s Blockers gender-swapped the trite “boys trying to lose their virginity” narrative that’s at the heart of so many high school comedies. But Booksmart takes things a major step forward. Loss of virginity isn’t even a plot point here. One of the main characters is gay, but her sexuality isn’t a plot point either. There’s also no subplot about her coming out of the closet or trying to conceal her sexuality from her parents. Not only did she come out during sophomore year, but her parents are totally cool with it and no one treats her differently because of it. Movies never make a big deal about a straight character’s sexual preference, and Booksmart treats homosexuality with the same nonchalant attitude. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a movie with a prominent LGBTQ character who isn’t defined by their sexuality.

Part of what makes Booksmart such an essential coming-of-age film is the way in which it shatters stereotypes. In older high school comedies, the “nerdy girls” are often depicted as prudish and virginal. Instead, Amy and Molly openly discuss sex and masturbation. The film makes it abundantly clear that sexuality and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. The stereotype of teenage girls being boy crazy is also subverted here because the main characters spend more time talking about masturbation and lesbian sex than they do about sleeping with boys.

Booksmart examines the topic of sex with remarkable authenticity. The film captures aspects of sex that many films leave out. For example, in one scene we witness a character struggle to remove someone’s clothes, especially skinny jeans and a pair of high-top Converse. It’s not sexy, but it’s realistic and the world needs more movies that are honest and give viewers realistic expectations about sex.  

Performances That Pass With Flying Colors

It’s clear Wilde wasn’t interested in having the main characters simply deliver jokes and one-liners. Their conversations are so real that the comedy emerges effortlessly. But Wilde isn’t the only one who deserves credit for that. Katie Silberman and Susanna Fogel refined Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskin’s previously blacklisted screenplay. The collaborative relationship between Silberman and Wilde plays a big role in making Booksmart the success that it is and the chemistry between Dever and Feldstein is indispensable.

In 2013, Kaitlyn Dever stole the show with a supporting role in Short Term 12. She has a plethora of credits to her name, but she’s never been the lead in a film until now. In 2017, Lady Bird put Beanie Feldstein on the map, but she’s never landed a starring role either. Fortunately, Wilde recognized both actresses’ talents and gave them the opportunity to shine. In addition to holding their own as lead actresses, Dever and Feldstein work so well together that their friendship is what makes Booksmart so endearing and enjoyable.

Through Dever and Feldstein, Booksmart depicts one of the best examples of female friendship ever portrayed on screen. The way in which Amy and Molly constantly compliment and build each other up is inspiring and uplifting. Not enough movies emphasize the importance of girls supporting one another. It’s moments like this that make Booksmart such an empowering film.

Above Average From All Angles

On top of Dever and Feldstein’s charming performances, the entire supporting cast excels. Billie Lourd is consistently hilarious, prompting laughs every single time she appears on screen. Casting director Allison Jones is worthy of praise because all the supporting actors and actresses really bring their characters to life. Booksmart is brimming with three-dimensional characters that cannot easily be labeled with traditional high school stereotypes, making this one of the most credible high school movies in years.

High school comedies aren’t typically lauded for their cinematography, but Jason McCormick raises the bar. The wide variety of stylishly composed shots match the film’s exhilarating and spirited tone. The soundtrack is packed with songs that heighten the film’s energy, especially a hysterical karaoke rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”. Every aspect of the film is so well done that Booksmart is clearly an absolute win.

Booksmart: Final Thoughts

Between a career-best performance in A Vigilante and an unbelievably impressive directorial debut with Booksmart, 2019 is shaping up to be Olivia Wilde’s year. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein’s chemistry makes Booksmart an absolute blast and Katie Silberman worked wonders on the screenplay. Despite the comparisons, Booksmart is so much more than this generation’s Superbad.

Booksmart isn’t just a hilarious high school movie, it’s also an important one. On top of dismantling harmful stereotypes and encouraging viewers to break out of their comfort zones, Booksmart serves as a necessary reminder to rethink our initial judgments of people and actually try to get to know them instead. Booksmart is audacious, authentic, and destined to become a new coming-of-age classic.

Are you looking forward to Booksmart? What’s your favorite high school comedy? Share your answer in the comments section.

Booksmart hits theaters in the U.S. on May 24, 2019, and theaters in the U.K. on May 27, 2019.