My recommendation for this week may not be brand new, but it was just added to Hulu, so hopefully, more people will finally see this movie! Booksmart is an amazing film directed by Olivia Wilde that came out earlier this year and received a well deserved 100% on Rotten Tomatoes upon release. It features amazing actresses such as Beanie Felldstein, who I fell in love with in Lady Bird; and Kaitlyn Dever, the lead in the show Unbelievable, which I previously recommended. As a huge fan of all of these women, I went into this film with high expectations and was not disappointed.
The story is centered on two best friends who are about to graduate high school. Molly and Amy spent their four years of school only focusing on what colleges they would get into and decided not to go out on the weekends, unlike their peers. When they come to a realization that those kids who chose to spend high school partying got into the same colleges they did, they try to fit all the fun they never had into one night before they graduate.
This film is just so honest in its portrayal of everything from female friendship, first-time hook-ups, and even how scary huge life changes can be. I truly appreciate a movie that can take such awkward real-life situations and find the humor and light in them.
Some of my favorite scenes in the film are when Molly and Amy hype each other up. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before and hysterical. Even though they have their issues (like every real-world friendship), they would do anything for each other, at the end of the day. In one scene, Molly is saying something negative about herself and Amy quite literally slaps her and says “How dare you say that about my best friend?” I thought it was such a smart and funny way to portray their deep love for one another, and this is only one example.
I genuinely love this movie and think it has a lot to say about important topics. Also, films written and directed by females need so much more love and recognition than they are given, but that’s a rant for another day. If you can, please check out Booksmart on Hulu!!!