''Booksmart'' is a 2019 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' ( ...
(in her feature directorial debut) and written by Emily Halpern,
Sarah Haskins,
Susanna Fogel
Susanna Fogel is an American director, screenwriter and author, best known for co-writing the 2019 film ''Booksmart'' and for co-writing and directing the 2018 action/comedy ''The Spy Who Dumped Me''. Her many accolades include a DGA Award and nom ...
, and
Katie Silberman
Katie Silberman is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is most known for writing the screenplays to ''Set It Up'' (2018), ''Booksmart'' (2019), and ''Don't Worry Darling'' (2022).
Career
Silberman earned her BA from Dartmouth College ...
. It stars
Beanie Feldstein
Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 29, 1993) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), the comedy-drama film '' Lady Bird'' (2017), and the ...
and
Kaitlyn Dever
Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever (; born December 21, 1996) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the FX crime drama television series '' Justified'' (2011–2015), the ABC/Fox sitcom '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021), the Net ...
as two graduating high school girls who set out to finally break the rules and party on their last day of classes.
Jessica Williams,
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...
,
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Forte is known for being a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (2002–2010), a recurring character on the show leading to a feature film ada ...
, and
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...
also star.
The film had its world premiere at
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
on March 10, 2019 and was theatrically released in the United States on May 24, by
United Artists Releasing
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studio ...
. It received critical acclaim and grossed $25 million against a $6 million budget. For her performance, Feldstein was nominated for
Best Actress – Comedy or Musical at the
77th Golden Globe Awards
The 77th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and American television of 2019, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Produced by Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA, the ceremony was broadcast live on January 5, 2020, fro ...
.
Plot
High school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
seniors Amy and Molly, longtime best friends, are accomplished students but, with Molly being class president, not popular with their peers. Amy has a crush on a girl named Ryan, which Molly urges her to pursue. On the eve of graduation, Molly confronts classmates insulting her bookishness, telling them she got into Yale, but they reveal that, despite their partying, they got into prestigious colleges or job recruitments. Furious, Molly tells Amy they should have enjoyed their time in high school more, and Amy reluctantly agrees to go to a graduation party held by classmate Nick.
Not knowing the party's address, Molly calls Jared, a wealthy classmate who likes her. He instead takes them to his own party aboard a yacht. Only his drug-crazed friend Gigi is there, who feeds the girls strawberries before jumping off the yacht. Amy suggests they go home, but Molly calls a "
Malala
Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pak ...
", their code for unconditionally supporting what the other wants to do.
The girls call a
rideshare car and are shocked to be picked up by their principal, Jordan Brown. To prepare Amy for possible sex with Ryan, Molly insists they watch
pornography
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, , which accidentally plays through the car speakers. Brown drops them off at what they think is Nick's party, but it is the home of their classmate George, who is hosting a
murder mystery party. They again encounter Gigi, who reveals that the strawberries were laced with powerful hallucinogenic drugs. Amy and Molly experience a
bad trip
A bad trip (also known as challenging experiences, acute intoxication from hallucinogens, psychedelic crisis, or emergence phenomenon) is an acute adverse psychological reaction to classic hallucinogens. With proper screening, preparation, and su ...
and hallucinate they are plastic fashion dolls. They leave George's house, but Gigi reveals Molly secretly likes Nick.
Amy insists they press on so that Molly can pursue her crush on Nick. They see pizza boxes in an online video of Nick's party and acquire the address by threatening the pizza delivery man. Molly calls their favorite teacher, Miss Fine, who gives them a ride to Nick's party.
Once at the party, Amy and Molly are surprised to find they are warmly welcomed. Molly and Nick flirt over
beer pong
Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of opposing teams of two or more player ...
and Amy spends time with Ryan. Unfortunately, Amy soon finds Ryan making out with Nick. Heartbroken, she finds Molly and calls her own "Malala", which Molly refuses because she still thinks she has a chance with Nick. Amy angrily reveals she is not just spending the summer in
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
but taking an entire
gap year
A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...
because she resents how Molly always tries to control her life. The two argue in front of the entire party.
Amy runs to the bathroom, finding her classmate Hope. They are initially argumentative until Amy kisses her. They start to have sex, but Amy vomits on Hope. Jared and Molly have a heartfelt conversation about how no one at school really knows them. Cops arrive at the party and everyone scatters. Unable to find Amy, Molly is driven home by "Triple A", a popular student with a promiscuous reputation. They bond over the stereotyping they both have endured.
Waking up on graduation day, Molly checks her phone and discovers her classmates praising Amy for creating a diversion at the party, allowing everyone to escape the police while getting herself arrested. Molly visits Amy in jail and apologizes for her manipulative actions, and they reconcile. Learning the pizza delivery man is a serial killer, they trade information to free Amy, and take Jared's car to graduation. Molly kisses Jared onstage and gives an improvised valedictorian speech, receiving a standing ovation.
A few days later, as Molly helps Amy prepare for her trip to Botswana, Hope visits to give Amy her phone number. Molly drives Amy to the airport where they share a tearful goodbye, but then Amy decides she still has time to hang out before her flight, so they ecstatically decide to get pancakes.
Cast
Production
Development
An early version of the children's book, ''Kate and Mona in the Jungle'' by Amy Aitken, was circulated in 2009 and appeared on the 2009
Black List
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
;
in 2014
Susanna Fogel
Susanna Fogel is an American director, screenwriter and author, best known for co-writing the 2019 film ''Booksmart'' and for co-writing and directing the 2018 action/comedy ''The Spy Who Dumped Me''. Her many accolades include a DGA Award and nom ...
revised the screenplay, rewriting one lead character as a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
and revising the story so the girls are not seeking boyfriends for the prom, but are going to an after-prom party.
Aitken died in 2017 of breast cancer.
Following the revisions,
Annapurna Pictures
Annapurna Pictures is an independent American media company founded by Megan Ellison in 2011, that specializes in film production, live theatre production, television through its Annapurna Television division, and video game publishing through i ...
purchased the screenplay and approached
Gloria Sanchez Productions
Gloria Sanchez Productions is an American film and television production company.
History
In 2014, Jessica Elbaum founded the production company as a sister label of Gary Sanchez Productions, founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, with a focus ...
to produce it; Gloria Sanchez' Jessica Elbaum pitched the screenplay to
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' ( ...
, who read the screenplay and two days later expressed admiration for it.
Megan Ellison
Margaret Elizabeth Ellison (born January 31, 1986) is an American film producer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Annapurna Pictures, established in 2011. She produced the films ''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012), '' Her'' (2013), '' American Hu ...
, Chelsea Bernard, David Distenfeld,
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
,
Adam McKay, and Elbaum would serve as producers on the film. Screenwriter
Katie Silberman
Katie Silberman is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is most known for writing the screenplays to ''Set It Up'' (2018), ''Booksmart'' (2019), and ''Don't Worry Darling'' (2022).
Career
Silberman earned her BA from Dartmouth College ...
was hired for more revisions in spring 2018, and to update the story.
Silberman explored a new concept:
According to Silberman, "Olivia's mantra to all of us was that high school is ''war''". Wilde also envisioned "a drug trip where the girls turned into
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
...
dolls" and gave Silberman the responsibility of where to incorporate it into the story.
Casting
In February 2018,
Kaitlyn Dever
Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever (; born December 21, 1996) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the FX crime drama television series '' Justified'' (2011–2015), the ABC/Fox sitcom '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021), the Net ...
and
Beanie Feldstein
Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 29, 1993) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), the comedy-drama film '' Lady Bird'' (2017), and the ...
joined the cast of the film. In May 2018,
Billie Lourd
Billie Catherine Lourd (born July 17, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Chanel #3 in the Fox horror comedy series '' Scream Queens'' (2015–2016) and for her roles in the FX horror anthology series ''American Horror S ...
and
Skyler Gisondo
Skyler Augustus Gisondo (born July 22, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films ''Licorice Pizza'', ''Booksmart'', and ''Vacation'', as well as the television programs ''The Righteous Gemstones'' and ''Santa Clarita Die ...
joined the cast of the film.
That same month,
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...
,
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...
,
Jessica Williams,
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Forte is known for being a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (2002–2010), a recurring character on the show leading to a feature film ada ...
,
Mike O'Brien,
Mason Gooding
Mason Gooding (born November 14, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Booksmart'', ''Everything's Gonna Be Okay'' and ''Love, Victor'' and has most recently starred in ''Scream''. He is the son of actor Cuba Gooding Jr. ...
,
Noah Galvin
Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Dr. Asher Wolke in the TV series ''The Good Doctor (TV series), The Good Doctor'', Kenny O'Neal in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ...
,
Diana Silvers
Diana Margaret Silvers (born November 3, 1996) is an American actress and model, best known for playing Erin Naird in the comedy series ''Space Force'' (2020–2022).
Early life
Silvers was born in Los Angeles on November 3, 1996, the daught ...
,
Austin Crute
Austin Crute (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles in the Netflix series ''Daybreak (2019 TV series), Daybreak'' and the films ''Booksmart'' and ''They/Them (film), They/Them''.
Biography
Crute was born ...
,
Eduardo Franco,
Molly Gordon
Molly June Gordon is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the drama TV series '' Animal Kingdom'' (2016–2018), as Nicky, and in the comedy films '' Life of the Party'' (2018) as Maddie, ''Booksmart'' (2019) as Triple A, and ...
, and
Nico Hiraga
Nico Hiraga (born December 19, 1997) is an American skateboarder and actor. He is known for playing Seth in the 2021 film ''Moxie'' and Tanner in the 2019 film ''Booksmart''. Hiraga's roles also include ''Summer of 17'', '' Skate Kitchen'', ''Bal ...
joined the cast of the film.
Silvers was initially asked to audition for Ryan, but felt her appearance was not ideal for the character and auditioned for Hope instead. Wilde also urged Feldstein and Dever to live together to develop a rapport. The two actresses were roommates in Los Angeles for ten weeks.
Wilde also asked the cast to read the screenplay and signal if they found dialogue that felt "inauthentic ...
ndrewrite it in your own voice".
Silberman continued to write after casting, finding it easy to come up with dialogue to fit Feldstein and Dever.
Silberman particularly credited the complementary language the characters use to Feldstein, who frequently posted "I have no breath" to
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
.
Wilde joked that her relationship with Sudekis was his audition.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in May 2018 around the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
. As a working mother, Wilde found the night filming challenging, but in the morning after filming she would take the time to bring her children to school. The effort wasn't something she could keep up in the long run, but having achieved her dream of getting to direct she was determined to "give it my all and make it work."
Wilde and production designer Katie Byron decorated the bedrooms seen in the film, including with trophies and depictions of prominent American women
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
and
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President ...
.
The animated dolls sequence was created over five months by a team of thirty people. Wilde had voiced a character on the series ''
BoJack Horseman
''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...
'' and contacted
ShadowMachine
ShadowMachine is an American animation studio and production company for film, television, commercials and music videos.
Since its early days producing the stop-motion animation show ''Robot Chicken'', the company has been producing such shows ...
the animation studio behind ''BoJack'' to create the sequence. Due to script rewrites, parts of the animated scene involving a
Roomba
Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners made by the company iRobot. Introduced in September 2002, they have a set of sensors that enable them to navigate the floor area of a home. These sensors can detect the presence of obstac ...
and a scene showing glitter vomit were cut from the film.
Music
The
score for ''Booksmart'' was composed by
Dan the Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark.
Early life
Nakamura was bo ...
. Although he had assisted with the scores of ''
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' (2010) and ''
Money Monster
''Money Monster'' is a 2016 American crime thriller film directed by Jodie Foster, with a screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf from a story by Di Fiore and Kauf. The film stars George Clooney (who also co-produced), Julia Ro ...
'' (2016), ''Booksmart'' was the first full film score that Dan composed for a major US film.
Release
![Booksmart Panel at SXSW (33510393498)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Booksmart_Panel_at_SXSW_%2833510393498%29.jpg)
''Booksmart'' premiered at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
film festival on March 10, 2019. It was then released theatrically in the United States on May 24, 2019 by
Annapurna Pictures
Annapurna Pictures is an independent American media company founded by Megan Ellison in 2011, that specializes in film production, live theatre production, television through its Annapurna Television division, and video game publishing through i ...
under its
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
label. United Artists also utilized an
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
campaign to sell tickets to a total of 800 advanced screenings across the country on May 17, 2019. While some film analysts predicted that ''Booksmart'' would have its theatrical release in the fall, following the trend of previous R-rated, female-centered films ''
Lady Bird'' and ''
The Edge of Seventeen
''The Edge of Seventeen'' is a 2016 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, in her directorial debut. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Haley Lu Richardson.
The fil ...
'', Annapurna decided on a
wide release In the American motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across the country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical re ...
over
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
weekend in order to build on the word-of-mouth traction they had generated from the festival premiere. ''Booksmart'' was released on
digital download on August 20, 2019, and on DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2019.
Reception
Box office
''Booksmart'' grossed $22.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $24.9 million.
In the United States and Canada, ''Booksmart'' was released alongside ''
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
'' and ''
Brightburn
''Brightburn'' is a 2019 American superhero horror film directed by David Yarovesky, written by Brian and Mark Gunn, and produced by James Gunn and Kenneth Huang. Starring Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones and Meredith ...
'', and was projected to gross around $12 million from 2,505 theaters in its four-day
opening weekend
The following is a list of the highest-grossing opening weekends for films. The list is dominated by recent films due to inflation, steadily increasing production and marketing budgets, and modern films opening on more screens.
Biggest worldwide o ...
. The film made $2.5 million on its first day, including $875,000 from Thursday night previews. It ended up underperforming, debuting to just $6.9 million (a four-day total of $8.7 million), finishing in sixth place.
Industry publications insisted that although the targeted young female demographic did turn out to the film, it should have begun with a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
and expanded, similar to the R-rated, female-led high school comedy ''
Lady Bird'' in 2017, and that ''Booksmart'' failed to stand out in the crowded marketplace.
In its second weekend the film made $3.3 million, dropping 52% and finishing in eighth.
The film's largest market outside North America was the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, where it grossed around US$1.8 million (£1.5 million) after seven weeks in theaters.
Director
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
asked: "When you have a movie that's as entertaining, well-made, and well-received as ''Booksmart'' not doing the business it should have
it really makes you realize that the typical
Darwinian
Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations tha ...
fight to survive is completely lopsided now. Everyone's trying to figure out how we protect the smaller films that aren't four-quadrant mega-releases. Can they exist in the cinema?"
Critical response
On review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "Fast-paced, funny, and fresh, ''Booksmart'' does the seemingly impossible by adding a smart new spin to the coming-of-age comedy." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at
PostTrak
PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios.
History
The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film a ...
gave it an overall positive score of 80%.
In December 2019, Rotten Tomatoes named ''Booksmart'' the #1 comedy of the decade on the site, using an adjusted formula that weighed multiple factors, including a film's release year and number of reviews.
Peter Debruge of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' praised the ensemble cast as well as Wilde's direction, calling the film "the best high school buddy comedy since ''
Superbad
''Superbad'' is a 2007 American coming-of-age teen buddy comedy film directed by Greg Mottola and produced by Judd Apatow. The film stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate from high school. Before grad ...
''".
John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' called the film a "hilarious, blazingly paced teen comedy." Writing for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'',
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it a "refreshingly original take on the raunchy coming-of-age comedy" and praising Feldstein and Dever's chemistry. Alissa Wilkinson of ''
Vox'' awarded the film a score of four out of five, writing that the "memorably relatable" ''Booksmart'' is also a "delightful reminder that growing up is about realizing nobody's a stereotype".
Linda Holmes of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
gave an especially favorable review, calling the film "a humane and heartfelt film without a mean bone in its figurative body". ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
''s Emily Yoshida also favorably wrote that it "manages to be inclusive and progressive, without being precious about anything or sacrificing an ounce of humor".
A. O. Scott of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' regarded the film as "sharp but not mean, warm without feeling too soft or timid", and referring to Feldstein and Dever as "a classic comedy duo".
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932) is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for ''Newsweek'' from 1965 to 1983, and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morgen ...
of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' deemed ''Booksmart'' a "prodigy", stating that no film that was "funnier, smarter, quicker or more joyous has graced the big screen in a long time."
Accolades
''Booksmart'' was included on 68 critics' top-ten lists, and on two lists was ranked in first place.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release
2019 films
2010s buddy comedy films
2010s coming-of-age comedy films
2010s female buddy films
2010s high school films
2019 LGBT-related films
2010s teen comedy films
American buddy comedy films
American coming-of-age comedy films
American female buddy films
Teen buddy films
American high school films
American teen comedy films
American teen LGBT-related films
Annapurna Pictures films
2010s English-language films
Films about parties
Films directed by Olivia Wilde
Films produced by Adam McKay
Films produced by Megan Ellison
Films produced by Will Ferrell
Films set in Los Angeles
Films shot in Los Angeles
Gloria Sanchez Productions films
2019 independent films
Lesbian-related films
LGBT-related buddy comedy films
LGBT-related coming-of-age films
Films with screenplays by Katie Silberman
2019 directorial debut films