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''Booksmart'' is a 2019 American
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...
(in her feature directorial debut) and written by
Emily Halpern Emily Halpern is an American film and television screenwriter and singer/songwriter. She is best known for co-writing the screenplay of ''Booksmart'' and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the British Academy of Film and Television Art ...
, 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 24, 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, singer, musician, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles in the television series ''Justified (TV series), Justified'' (2011–2015), ''Last Man Standing (America ...
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. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy A ...
,
Will Forte Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on ...
, and
Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. I ...
also star. The film had its world premiere at
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
on March 10, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on May 24, by
United Artists Releasing United Artists Releasing, LLC (UAR) was an American film distribution joint venture between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Annapurna Pictures and the successor to United Artists (UA) that operated from October 31, 2017 to March 4, 2023. Founded by form ...
. 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 2019 in film, film and 2019 in American television, American television of 2019, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Produced by Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA, the ceremony ...
.


Plot

High school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
seniors and longtime best friends Amy Antsler and Molly Davidson are accomplished
Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...
–bound students but unpopular with their peers despite Molly being class president. 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 and boasts that she got into
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, but they reveal that, despite their partying, they also 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. Unaware of 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", 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 (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
, 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
hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...
s, whereupon they trip that 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. With only 2% phone battery, Molly calls their favorite teacher, Miss Fine, who gives them a ride to Nick's party. Once there, they 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. Amy finds Ryan
making out Making out is a term of American English, American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used to refer to kissing, including extended French kissing or ''necking'' (heavy kissing of the neck, and above), or to acts of non-penetrative s ...
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, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
but taking an entire
gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...
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, until 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 have both 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. Recognizing that the pizza delivery man is a serial killer from a wanted poster in jail, they trade information to free Amy, and take Jared's car to graduation. Molly kisses Jared onstage and gives an improvised
valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...
speech, receiving a standing ovation. A few days later, as Molly helps Amy prepare for her trip to
Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
, 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 screenplay, ''Book Smart'' by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, was circulated in 2009 and appeared on the 2009
Black List Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...
; 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 homosexual woman or girl. 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 nouns with female homosexu ...
and revising the story so the girls are not seeking boyfriends for the prom, but are going to an after-prom party. Following the revisions,
Annapurna Pictures Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna P ...
purchased the screenplay and approached
Gloria Sanchez Productions Gloria Sanchez Productions, Inc. 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 ...
to produce it; Gloria Sanchez'
Jessica Elbaum Jessica Elbaum is an American producer. She is best known for co-founding the production company Gloria Sanchez Productions with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in 2014. She has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, won one Emmy Award and w ...
pitched the screenplay to
Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...
, who read the screenplay and two days later expressed admiration for it.
Megan Ellison Margaret "Megan" Elizabeth Ellison (born January 31, 1986) is an American film producer, entrepreneur, and daughter of multibillionaire Larry Ellison. She is a founder of Annapurna Pictures, established in 2011. She produced the films ''Zero D ...
, Chelsea Bernard, David Distenfeld,
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
,
Adam McKay Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. McKay began his career as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') from 1995 to 2001. After leaving ''SNL'', McKay co-w ...
, 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 created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
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, singer, musician, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles in the television series ''Justified (TV series), Justified'' (2011–2015), ''Last Man Standing (America ...
and
Beanie Feldstein Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 24, 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, best 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 St ...
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 ''Psych'', '' The Righteous Gemstones'', and ''Sant ...
joined the cast of the film. That same month,
Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. I ...
,
Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy A ...
, Jessica Williams,
Will Forte Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on ...
, Mike O'Brien,
Mason Gooding Mason Gooding (born November 14, 1996) is an American actor. The son of actor Cuba Gooding Jr., he has appeared in television series and films. He had a recurring role in the television series ''Ballers'' (2018) and a starring role in the teen d ...
,
Noah Galvin Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He portrayed Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom '' The Real O'Neals'' and was the second person to perform the title role in the Broadway musical ''Dear Evan Hansen''. He also pl ...
,
Diana Silvers Diana Silvers (born November 3, 1997) 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, 1997. Her mother is Swis ...
,
Austin Crute Austin Crute (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor best known for his roles in the Netflix series '' Daybreak'' and the films ''Booksmart'' and ''They/Them''. Biography Crute was born into a religious family, the son of a pastor in Norcross ...
, Eduardo Franco,
Molly Gordon Molly Gordon is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has appeared in the drama TV series '' Animal Kingdom'' (2016–2018), and comedy films '' Life of the Party'' (2018), ''Booksmart'' (2019), and '' Good Boys'' (2019). In 2023, s ...
, and Nico Hiraga 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 an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. Wilde joked that her relationship with Sudeikis 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 the ...
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, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
. 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 was not 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". The research scene inside the library took place at
Woodbury University Woodbury University is a private university in Burbank, California. Founded in 1884 with initial campuses in Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown and Central Los Angeles, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Sout ...
. 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 ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...
and
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; Bader; March 15, 1933 – September 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 Death and state funeral of Ruth Bader ...
. 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 tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...
'' and contacted
ShadowMachine ShadowMachine is an American animation studio and production company specialized in film, television, commercials and music videos. Since its early days producing the stop-motion animation show '' Robot Chicken'', the company has been producing ...
, the animation studio behind ''BoJack'', to create the sequence. Due to script rewrites, parts of the animated scene involving a
Roomba A Roomba is an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner made by the company iRobot, and was first introduced in September 2002. Roombas have a set of sensors which help them navigate the floor area of a home. These sensors can detect the presence ...
and a scene showing glitter vomit were cut from the film.


Music

The
score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...
for ''Booksmart'' was composed by
Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura (born August 29, 1966), better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Daniel M. Nakamura wa ...
. 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, from a screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf. It stars George Clooney as financial television host Lee Gates and Julia Roberts as his produce ...
'' (2016), ''Booksmart'' was the first full film score that Dan composed for a major US film.


Release

''Booksmart'' premiered at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
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 American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna P ...
under its
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
label. United Artists also utilized an
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
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 ...
'', Annapurna decided on a
wide release In the motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across a country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical release in ...
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 died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...
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 ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...
'' and '' Brightburn'', 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 cinemas 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, where it grossed around US$1.8 million (£1.5 million) after seven weeks in theaters. Director J. J. Abrams asked: "When you have a movie that's as entertaining, well-made, and well-received as ''Booksmart'' not doing the business it should have he teen comedy underperforming at the box office despite critics' raves it really makes you realize that the typical
Darwinian ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sele ...
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 aggregator, 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 ...
, 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 an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, 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 an American 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 from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
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 fil ...
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, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and produced by Judd Apatow. It stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about ...
''". 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 nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'',
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...
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) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
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 Nort ...
''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 Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at ''The New York Review of Books'', '' Variety'', and ''Slate'', he began writing film ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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. Morge ...
of ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' 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

* {{TFCA Award for Best First Feature 2019 films 2019 directorial debut films 2019 independent films 2019 LGBTQ-related films 2010s buddy comedy films 2010s coming-of-age comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s female buddy films 2010s high school films 2010s teen comedy films American buddy comedy films American coming-of-age comedy films American female buddy films American films with live action and animation American high school films American teen comedy films American teen LGBTQ-related films Annapurna Pictures films English-language buddy comedy films English-language independent films English-language teen comedy 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 2019 Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by Katie Silberman Films with screenplays by Susanna Fogel Gloria Sanchez Productions films Lesbian-related films LGBTQ-related buddy comedy films LGBTQ-related coming-of-age comedy films LGBTQ-related independent films Teen buddy films