booksmart, film review,

Booksmart, screened in advance at the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), follows the adventures of academic over-achievers and study-buddies Amy and Molly. The besties spent their high school years mapping out the rest of their lives. Amy plans to volunteer in Botswana and complete her studies at Columbia. Molly is Valedictorian and student-body president, already accepted to Yale, the first step in her goal of becoming the youngest Supreme Court justice.

It’s the night before graduation and Molly is struck by the realization that everyone around her is having fun. She never thought you could get good grades and have a social life. And so Molly and Amy set off to party like the last four years never happened. The two decide to crash the cool kids’ party. Molly will pursue her crush on the popular jock and Amy has her eyes on a quirky girl. Their evening of debauchery includes tripping on drug-spiked punch and a night in jail.

Booksmart avoids the vapid boy’s coming-of-age plot where girls are incidental and only exist as objects of lust. The film is poignant, smart, funny and unpredictable.