Film review on 'Booksmart'

Trailer of 'Booksmart' (2019) by Olivia Wilde

I was bored out of my mind and randomly browsed Rotten Tomatoes. Out of all the top-ranked comedy movies on the list, Olivia Wilde's movie, Booksmart, caught my attention. The two main characters are graduating seniors who want to have an epic night out before heading to college. The premise of Booksmart is quite similar to Superbad's, which I later found out the movie was based on. Just like Superbad, this coming-of-age comedy has a simple yet compelling plot, bolden by Wilde's directing and iconic soundtrack that perfectly portrays the main characters' awakening and growth.

*Spoiler Alert*

One of my favorite moments is the bathroom scene where Molly overheard her classmates talking shit about her and assumed they were losers failing school. However, it turns out that they do care about education as much as her and have multitudes of life outside of school. It was interesting to see the change in her perception of her classmates; in the beginning, Molly is getting ready with a podcast in the background preaching, "people who hate you are losers, and your intention of the day is to crush them." Her belligerent and subtly condescending attitude is shifted when she learns that everyone has a unique story and path forward that deserves respect. At the commencement, she gives a heartwarming speech, celebrating each student's individuality and encouraging them to pursue their passions.

The movie's cinematography is top-notch, climaxing in the underwater scene at the pool where Amy finds out her crush is not into her by witnessing her kissing a man. Both the bathroom and pool scenes show how incomplete and fragile our perception can be, alluding that these limitations and assumptions posed on others and ourselves can also be changed by being more open-minded and less judgemental toward differences.