Booksmart

Good news: The American high school comedy was not dead! In fact, it feels more vital than ever in Booksmart – a sassy, witty and liberatingly progressive film in which Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever shine as BFFs Amy and Molly.

The plot is fairly straightforward: The two bookish girls suddenly realise that their classmates who have partied through high school have also got top grades and job offers. Looking back at years of quiet evenings in the school library, now seemingly for nothing, Amy and Molly decide to catch up on three years’ worth of partying and socialising in one single night. Their plan is to go to the class goodbye party, where Amy’s crush, skater girl Ryan, also happens to be…

The awkward and funny situations that happen en route to the party are what really make this film. But as familiar as that might sound, Booksmart manages to be a lot smarter and more honest than almost any other film in the genre. Without making a big deal about it, it introduced a lesbian main character. And it’s really more about how incredibly important it can be to have a close friend through your teenage years (that one friend who’s always been there for you, but maybe won’t always be) than it is about sexual conquests and epic partying. The whole range of high school stereotypes – be it nerd, prep, jock, hipster, diva, vamp, or goody-two-shoes – are portrayed with equal amounts of love and depth. But first and foremost, Booksmart is very, very entertaining.