It’s understandable why someone might expect me to enjoy it more than I did. There are definitely moments that shine—they’re quite impressive when they work. However, the weaker sections are exceptionally disappointing. I suppose I'll give it a 3-star rating, simply to be equitable.

I've been meaning to get around to A Vigilante from Olivia Wilde for a while now, but time has passed and I haven’t yet. It had faded from my thoughts, and I probably would have forgotten about it entirely if not for having recently seen Booksmart, which arrived very late in my country. While I'm generally not drawn to young-adult movies set in high school that focus on coming of age, some films I’ve really enjoyed o…

The main performers are enjoyable, but what truly stands out is the ensemble of supporting actors. I approached _Booksmart_ with some hesitation. Over the preceding few years, I’d been told very similar positive things about three films centered on young women coming of age: _Edge of Seventeen_, _Lady Bird,_ and _Eighth Grade_. It seems to me that one of those is genuinely good, another is decent enough, and a thi…

This movie, ‘Booksmart,’ is genuinely funny and entertaining—so much so that it’s easy to remember lines and repeat them, making it something people of all ages and genders should definitely watch. What's most striking about it is how invigorating it feels. Olivia Wilde has demonstrated her skill as a filmmaker, and she collaborated with screenwriters Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman o…

Those who assume this resembles something like Superbad with female leads are mistaken; it goes far beyond that. At its heart, the film explores friendship, and while it shares familiar territory with other stories about growing up, it surpasses what's expected thanks to Olivia Wilde’s impressive direction and the performances of Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. It's a movie centered on friendship, but also a trib…