Booksmart

GV: I want to start things off by saying this soundtrack is divine and is one of two soundtracks I follow on Spotify (the other being Pretty In Pink). There is such a wide variety of songs and the way they are incorporated with what is on screen is unlike anything I've ever seen. It definitely has to do with the fact that the fantastic Olivia Wilde used to direct music videos so she really knows what she's doing. I can’t help but sing along with every song!  I can't continue my review without telling you all that when I first saw this movie I didn't like it. I went into it with the entirely wrong perspective (I was expecting another Lady Bird). However, after every time I watch this, I like it more and have seen it probably 10 times at this point that would mean I fucking love it! The scene where Amy goes to pick up Molly and they just dance in the streets to greet one another after not seeing each other for a maximum of 12 hours is just one of many scenes that make my heart ache with nostalgia. Another being the beer pong scene. Olivia Wilde had to have experienced this moment first hand. From their heads banging into one another, the flirtatious conversation about their heights and to top it off he comments on her Hogwarts house. Like, come on! That shit can’t be written out of anywhere. Either that happened to her or a friend, but I want to know more. One last thing this movie gave me was a ridiculous crush on Diana Silvers. She probably has a maximum of 15 minutes of screen time, but when those 15 minutes include her wearing that fringe jacket and a perfect pair of jeans what did I expect! Anyway, thanks Olivia Wilde, let's do this again soon!

IW: There is a scene in Booksmart where Kaitlyn Denver’s character Amy jumps into a pool in nothing but her underwear as Slip Away by Perfume Genius plays. It is established pretty early on that Amy is incredibly guarded and cautious but she learns to live a little and jumps in the pool, a pivotal moment for her character arc. I’m not a movie crier but I came pretty damn close when I saw this scene, I wanted to frame those three minutes, put them on my wall and just stare at them for as long as I wanted. The movie surrounding this PERFECT scene is pretty fucking fantastic too. Amy’s best friend Molly, portrayed with the right amount of bossiness and sensitivity by Beanie Feldstein made me feel like someone had completely stripped me down and shoved me in the middle of time square or in other words, I felt exposed. But it’s not just the relatable characters that make this movie fucking phenomenal its the side characters ( i am an absolute sucker for well-thought-out side characters). George the neurotic theater kid yelling “fair townspeople I swear to God!” makes me cackle, Gigi, peeking through a sunroof wearing an ornate fluffy jacket in May in Southern California is barely a footnote in the description of this character who is the definition of “camp.” But my personal favorite is Jared, the sweet try hard rich kid who doesn’t understand how to make friends and wants to produce original broadway musicals ( I don’t use the word swoon often but that shit is SWOONWORTHY). Jared, I invite you to (consensually) bash me any day. The thing that this movie really gets right though, is the relationship between these characters. In Molly’s eyes, these are idiots who have held her and Amy back for all of high school. In reality, they didn’t have it out for Molly and Amy, they just didn’t care because nobody really thinks that hard about people outside of their social circle (which is literally how life works, we all just have main character syndrome)in high school. Instead, they were so excited to see them out because who doesn’t love it when the nerds go to a party? That is one of my favorite parts of Booksmart: how it perfectly captures the truth of the hierarchy of high school: that there really is none, also the scene where they turn into dolls, that’s a goddamn genius. Olivia Wilde, you are THAT BITCH.