There are a handful of movies that I have always wished I could have seen in the cinema when they first came out. Certain films feel so important and ingrained in the year that they were released that I feel tangible amounts envy towards the people that got to experience them at them at the time they were most relevant. Near the top of this list for me is 2007′s Superbad. I was 6 when Superbad was released and so naturally I didn’t get to see it until much later, the point of that film would have likely went over my head at that age as well, I wish I could have been leaving high school when that film was out so I could experience it at its most impactful. I can only image how emotional and relatable the story of two best friends trying desperately to make it to the last party before graduation would have been for teenagers who were going through the same types of situations at the time.

Well as I said, I was 6 when Superbad was first shown in cinemas. I am about to turn 18 and I honestly feel like I have just walked out of my Superbad. I left high school early but was still invited to my prom which I went to just 6 days before seeing this film, there was a strange feeling that filled the room as if it had only just dawned on a lot of my old classmates that meeting up and hanging out was going to made a lot harder after this summer due to everyone having different plans. Although I didn’t stay for my final year at that school I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t a feeling that hit me too at a certain point in the night after running into some old friends I hadn’t spoken to in a few months.

To get more to the point (and actually talk about the movie I’m meant to be reviewing) that is the feeling that I got while watching Booksmart. This film expertly captures the feeling of moving on after high school in a way that most films aimed at teenagers completely fail to do.

The characters feel like real teenagers, with real teenage problems. The performances are all fantastic especially from the two leads who are both destined to become stars after this. The tone is far from bleak despite what my intro may have had you think. I compared this to Superbad for a reason, it tackles it themes of separation and moving on in a mature way but it is still absolutely hilarious. The interactions between Dever and Feldstein are continuously funny, aided by what appears to be a heavy focus on imporv. The side characters also offer a lot of comedic potential that is rarely missed. Despite not appear much in the film Jason Sudeikis is at the top of his comedic game whever he is on screen however the best moments tend to come from Billie Lourd as Gigi. Lourd is a complete scene-stealer in all of the best ways as she commits 100% to a character that, if handled poorly, could have become insanely irritating. Honestly considering that I had only seen Lourd as Lieutenant Connix in the recent Star Wars sequels, a pretty forgettable role that she was given because her mother was Princess Leia, I did not expect her to be this great.

This is also the feature debut for actress turned director Olivia Wilde which you would not guess from how well this film is put together. I would not be at all surprised if Wilde decides to change course with her career much like Greta Gerwig seems to have opted to do.

I don’t see this film garnering much awards buzz at the end of the year but, with the risk of spoilers for my 2019 retrospective, this is absolutely my favourite film of the year so far. I only really had an issue with one scene in particular where the score takes over way to much but that is all I will say about that so as to avoid spoilers. I highly recommend checking this out although I do admit that this may have just been the right film at the right time for me personally, but Isn’t that the real joy of film?