Booksmart (2019)

Elevator Pitch: Molly Davidson (Beanie Feldstein) and Kaitlyn Dever (Amy Antsler) are swots in high school and best friends. On the night before their graduation when both are to move on with stars, they discover that the rest of their class, who had appeared to be drug takers, layabouts and exhibitionists have also been successful in making the transition to top class colleges. Hence, they decide that they must try to catch up and go to the end of term parties around the town and indulge in the same sort of excess that they have seen around them. They go to the parties and take some drugs, resulting in some hallucinations involving Barbie dolls and as possible romance seems possible, fall out.

Content: There is some almost lesbian sex, but no nudity, except for the Barbie dolls. The parties take place, involving all possible high school stereotypes, played to the ultimate possible level. Molly and Kaitlyn travel from one party to another, at one time being driven by their high school headmaster, who is working as a night time taxi driver because he is so badly paid. At one point Kaitlyn dives into a swimming pool in pursuit of another girl. It is unrealistically deep. 

A View: I find that I did not fully understand the set up of this film, which suggests to me that to enjoy it you should be an American and have been through the US school system. I did not even understand some of the pieces written by the critics. You might also have to be a relatively young person to find it enjoyable. I can’t quite understand why 377 critics went to see it and wrote about it, and despite their generally glowing comments it has not really made any money. I am and old Brit so it was not for me. So, the best I can say is that it is tiresome.

I am assuming that this film was targeted at young adults, so here are three others reviewed here, in the same category: Sex Drive, Without a Paddle 2: Nature’s Calling, Jennifer’s Body