Booksmart

In June of nineteen-hundred-and-eighty-three (said in my best old guy voice) I waited for Pomp and Circumstance to start while standing in line behind Steve Copenhaver and beside Mary Simons. We had a high school graduation to get through so that we could start the next chapter of our lives.

90 minutes earlier I drank my first-ever beer while at a party near Summersville Lake.

I felt exhilarated but anxious; I wasn't intoxicated, but I worried the drunk would suddenly hit me as I walked across the stage to get my diploma. Sorta like after one takes a hit of acid and waits for it to kick in, I nervously anticipated that Budweiser buzz and prayed it didn't hit at the wrong time.

The naïve angst of teenagers, eh?

Navigating the social trappings of high school can be daunting, and I wasn't different from any other student. Our school had the usual cliques -- each comprised of kids who thought we were unique when really we'd just conformed like everyone else. I made it through high school without too many scrapes and bruises, but it was the near future that worried me most.

I was uncertain about a future outside my small hometown and without my small circle of friends. And the uncertainty scared me.

I suspect even the most mature high school graduates feels anxious about the major transition being thrust upon them. Pre-graduation time moves slowly, providing ample time for kids to reflect on their growth and their failings. And the social infrastructure that made up our world for years starts to crumble in those final weeks of high school.

I guzzled a beer to see what all the fuss was about. In Booksmarts, Amy and Molly step away from their rigid studies to party with classmates they've learned beside for years but barely know. They wanna know what they've been missing.

The result is a coming-of-age teen comedy that's fresh and entertaining.

Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmarts works on several levels: the dialogue is honest, characters are deeper than the stereotypes they initially seem to represent, and the comedy is smart.  But it's the relationship between leads Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Deaver that makes this flick work.

The audience believes the pair have known and loved each other for a lifetime. Wilde uses small moments throughout the film -- my favorite being early in the movie when Amy picks up Molly from her home to drive her to school -- to show that these girls deeply understand, respect, and love each other.

You'll recognize yourself in the adventures Molly and Amy have in the days leading up to their high school graduation. And because of Wilde's direction and the acting chops of Deaver and Feldstein, you'll understand, respect, and love these girls too.