When it comes to comedies that revolve around teens, peer pressure, and popularity, Book Smart is that movie.  The two main characters have set many goals before they go off to college. Book Smart is a witty, heartfelt, and raunchy comedy that is Superbad (2007), but with females. For Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, Book Smart is one that she will be remembered for. The film has numerous hysterical scenarios, and twists that are not what viewers will expect. The female characters are not partying or popular types, but they do what it takes to redeem themselves and seem like they know how to have a wild time.

The film gears on two friends, Amy and Molly (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein). Amy and Molly are at the ending point of their high school days with honor roll grades due to their tremendous discipline with academics. For some reason though, it occurs to them that they wasted their high school days working too hard and studying too much. This leads them to want to cram a night of questionable behavior into one night. As their night begins, they start to drink and find a variety of different partying locations that they have never knew about before.

What I enjoyed about Book Smart was that it featured nerdy characters that want to have a good time.  Both characters are played by actors who have also done movies where they are not popular and not obvious party types.  Kaitlyn Dever was a low-key character in Laggies (2014), Men, Women, and Children (2014), All Summers End (2017), and other films. Beanie Feldstein has played someone mellow, however can also be vicious and negative as she was in Lady Bird (2017). Both of the actresses come out of their shells to portray party types of women. I was impressed with their performances.

One element that I felt was impressive about the movie was that the harsh language was at a minimum. I remember with Superbad, there would be multiple F bombs, negative discussions, and just crude dialogue in almost every scene of the movie.  Book Smart does have some raunchy dialogue, but it is not the focus of the movie. The focus of the movie is the funny in the crazy situations. While I did enjoy Superbad, I have come to realize that they tried to make it even more funny by adding all the swearing. Book Smart is a lot lighter and more tolerable to watch.

I give Book Smart four stars. I think this is one of the top comedy films of the summer. I walked in with average expectations, but I was thoroughly entertained. The film had me laughing the entire time and at moments that were not expected. Also, the chemistry between the two actresses is top notch. Both Dever and Feldstein have promising careers. Do not miss Book Smart.