Booksmart
If you want to watch a film about two young women finding out a whole bunch of new things about themselves, each other and the people they’ve been in high school with for four years, while also having new experiences and trying to be a little braver, this is the movie for you. For all of that, this movie is exciting and funny and cute and a general great time. I’ve got a lot of serious and emotionally taxing films coming up for the last few days of this project, and this was a welcome little respite before diving back into the heavy ones.
Amy and Molly are about to graduate high school, and when they find out on their last day that their hard work and dedication to school was received in essentially the same ways that their classmates’ half-hearted attempts and partying were, they’re ready to cut loose for once. They set out on a journey to find the party of one of the popular kids, and the first half of the movie is spent turning up at the wrong places.
In the process, they get to know more about people they’ve been going through high school with but never bothered to spend much time with. Again, this leads to them finding out more about themselves. And once they arrive at the party, this learning continues, as do the new experiences.
There is romance in this film, and drama and fights and hilarity, but underneath it all, the focus is the beautiful friendship between these young women, and their strength and independence. We see how they support each other and try to protect each other, and we also see how kind and loving they are towards each other. Seeing the way they deliberately compliment each other in excess when they see one another in new outfits provokes a delightful sort of contentment as a watcher, as does the moment when Amy slaps Molly straight in the face and declares, “How dare you say that to my best friend?” following Molly insulting herself.
Friendship is such an important aspect of life, and AFAB people have a unique experience existing in the world. Being able to share those experiences with each other and offer support and help and love is such an incredible gift, and ultimately that is what we get to see play out in this movie. It’s not always easy and sometimes we can’t always understand each other or get along perfectly, but being there for each other is the most important thing.
There’s more I’d like to say about this movie, but I’m not sure how to put it in words. What I will say is that I recommend this movie as a fun and lovely depiction of the ups and downs of female friendship and growing up. Watch it if you can.
Booksmart is available to stream in Australia and the UK on Netflix and on Hulu in the US. It’s available to rent or buy everywhere on YouTube, Google Play or Amazon Prime.
