I feel like I will always yearn for more women behind the camera, making films that both resemble them, and give us all a voice. Granted, some initiatives do exist to promote female voices in cinema, like Girls on Tops, but there is still so much to do, and I believe that the best way to act on this matter on an individual scale is through word of mouth. Therefore, I shall never shut up about Greta Gerwig nor Agnès Varda. Sorry not sorry.
Based on this, you can imagine how excited I was about Booksmart (2019), Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut. The critically acclaimed film follows two girls, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) on a wild night before their high school graduation. Yes, Booksmart is a teenage film, but it is a fresh take on this often-dismissed genre. Not only does it shatter the gender stereotypes often found in media targeting younger audiences, it also builds upon them to offer different alternatives. Booksmart is truly a funny film, reminding us of the capital importance of sorority and female friendship, while proving humour can not only be inclusive, but also feminist.
Reversing stereotypes one at a time
Addressing stereotypes is not uncommon amongst teenage films, but Booksmart does it in a unique way, imposing a new feminist twist on an old plot device. The characters are drafted to be realistic and flawed whilst staying entertaining, a subversion of Hollywoodian codes that is closely tied to Sarah Haskins, one of the scenarists, well-known for satire on this topic.
In Booksmart, the main characters, Molly and Amy are two very confident girls, or, more specifically, two very confident nerds. This is the first image we have of them, and it is already three-dimensional, far from the cliché of the awkward male nerds from American Pie (1999). Their vision of the world changes drastically once they learn that the classmates they despised for not having the same studious lifestyle as them, also got into Ivy League universities.
Molly: This isn’t possible…You guys don’t even care about school.
Triple A: No. We just don’t only care about school.
After this discovery, Molly wants to catch up, feeling like all her efforts were for nothing. Her sense of identity is shattered with this realization that you do not have to wait until you get into Yale to live, and that you can be “incredible at hand jobs, but [also get] a 1560 on the SATs”. This inversion is even more powerful in Booksmart because of Amy and Molly’s flaws: their academic pride and ensuing expectations of others often turns into condescendence and judgement.
From this point onwards, everything is possible in the wealthy universe of Booksmart: the cool girl has a soul, the crazy rich kid actually craves acceptance, and the teacher, Miss Fine, is wilder than she looks. This latter character drafts a new model for the traditional teaching figure, more flattering than an old, wise man. In this modern film, Jessica Williams portrays a modern mentor: a pierced, braided-hair woman with an appetite for crossword puzzles.
To me, all of these role reversals are more than just plot devices. They go far beyond entertainment, and the simple teach teenagers to look beyond appearances. Booksmart fights stereotypes efficiently by reminding young girls that they do not have to choose between being smart and pretty, the two polar opposites often vehiculated in the media. The film asks the viewer if they conform to stereotypes without realizing it. From the public bathroom scene, where Molly answers back to other students making fun of her, this intention is clear: she is sensitive, yet she can and will fight back.
Yes, this loss of identity and turning of tables is dramatic, but it still rings true. Booksmart then leaves room for debate on the models we give to young girls through media outlets, raising the question of why we still have to remind teenagers that their classmates have feelings?
A modern comedy
Humour, in Booksmart, is used as a modern device. Firstly, the film is set in a comfortable bubble devoid of any homophobia and fatphobia. This struck me, as Molly is bigger than the traditional coming-of-age main character, and Amy is a lesbian. I expected the girls to face some stigmatization based on these characteristics, as is seen a lot in other narratives, but I was so happy that this wasn’t the case. On the contrary, these characteristics are just details, and do not take the upper hand on the story. Even Amy’s parents, played by Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte, do their best to be supportive, to the point of sparking cringe.
Doug: Sala-me being your dad was the greatest honour of my life.
They do not fully grasp their daughter’s sexual identity and believe that she and Molly are dating, but they demonstrate their pride for her accomplishments. This unconditional love is touching and refreshing for a target audience that may not benefit from the same support. On this aspect, Booksmart feels like a warm hug to the young LGBT+ community.
Olivia Wilde and the writing team use feminist references the way Edgar Wright uses pop culture. From the opening shot in Molly’s room to Uber car rides, female empowerment is omnipresent and acknowledged. The Malala code, the feminist podcasts, the celebration of Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, all these elements are part of a new, common set of references for young girls. They are not ridiculed, but celebrated through laughter, and help the audience relate even more to Amy and Molly. Even in the most audacious – and absurd – moment of the film, such as when the characters unknowingly ingest drugs and trip, believing they are Barbie dolls, their feminist convictions are made a key and developed aspect of the scene: they are living their worst nightmare.
In that way, Booksmart renews comedy and proves that you do not need to use political incorrectness to be hilarious - personally I’d like to see more food puns in the future, so I hope that Wilde will keep on providing them.
The importance of sorority in a world that pits women against each other
Most importantly, Booksmart is a film about the strength and importance of sorority and female friendship. It depicts a nuanced account of a strong, mostly healthy but also co-dependent relationship, and gives value to the efforts one must make for it. At the beginning of the film, Amy is mostly a sidekick to Molly, and just happens to follow her around everywhere. She does not really talk in public, nor does she take initiatives. The two girls mirror each other, to the point of dressing almost identically to go out. And the viewer gets it: it is comfortable, following along and not taking risks, until it is not anymore. That point of friction and change is at the core of the film, in an innovative fighting scene.
After realizing the girl she has a crush on is dating a guy, still soaking wet from her diving in the pool, Amy finds Molly. In one long shot, without any cuts, Wilde manages to depict a realistic fight, full of things left unsaid and the heartbreaks associated.
Olivia Wilde: To me, it’s interesting to stage an argument where everyone is right and no one is wrong. It’s not a battle between right and wrong. They’re on different pages and so often, that is what causes our greatest conflicts with the people we love the most. If we were just able to look back at the 10 minutes of someone’s life, we might be able to realize why they’re acting this way.
The scene redefines what ‘healthy’ means: friendship, like any relationship, is tough, and you can fight while still loving each other very much. What matters is the deep love and respect Molly and Amy share, a love that transcends misunderstandings. Their relationship evolves with the film; far from perfect, but they are willing to do the work. Many people around me have felt trapped in their relationships, both romantic and platonic. I believe that the first step towards healthier interpersonal dynamics comes with the acknowledgement of what should be acceptable, and what should not be, which involves showing healthy fights on screen to dedramatize conflict. Even in such a situation, Amy and Molly still manage to respect the other:
Olivia Wilde: You can acknowledge that Amy doesn’t use the one tool that could decimate Molly. She could say throughout that entire argument that Nick is in the pool with Ryan. She doesn’t do it.
Beyond the hard times, Booksmart celebrates the power that comes with female friendship, as we consistently see the main characters hype each other up with great tenderness and mutual admiration.
Molly: Who allowed you to be this beautiful?
Amy: Who allowed YOU to be this beautiful?
Molly: Who allowed you to take my breath away?
In this celebratory tone, Wilde develops many different bonds between women, like the genuine connexion the girls share with Miss Fine, whilst also trying to break certain narratives and misconceptions about feminine sexuality through the storyline of Triple A/Annabelle. She is a character that is reduced to her sexuality, a “slut” that is “both what men want and what isn’t allowed”, but, as it turns out, she happens to be smart enough to also get into Yale.
Triple A: I’m incredible at hand-jobs but I also got a 1560 on the SATs.
During the film, Triple A gives Molly, soon to be her university classmate, a ride home. This is the occasion for an interesting dialogue on slut-shaming and the power of rumours. Starting with the nickname and its origin, she denies the rumours and states that she only gave them a ride home. However, she later says that even though she enjoys doing what she is well known and called names for, that does not justify the attacks she receives. Booksmart debunks the double standard that it is the good girls who can be liked, and the bad ones that have a sex life. Diminishing any of them should not be acceptable, and too many media representations of teenage girls would have stopped at the first part of the scene: Triple A saying that the rumours are unfounded, leading the viewer to feel empathy for her. This storyline is hypocritical as it means that redemption can only be achieved by making the ‘right’ choice, and having the lifestyle deemed acceptable. However in Booksmart, the only character that has to change her attitude is Molly, for her judgement of another woman’s intimacy, which I believe to be a smart and modern twist on a sexist trope.
Wilde and her team successfully make their characters experience life and feminist issues beyond surface-level acceptance. Having made amends, Molly and Triple A may be able to enjoy a normal relationship while at Yale, devoid from unhealthy rivalry and competitiveness, while Amy is shown to find herself and her voice. Both Molly and Amy are awakened to another face of pride and female empowerment through the film, one that promotes enjoying feminism together rather than looking down on others. The antagonism shifts from the classmates who have different priorities to misogyny, and the way society pits young women against each other. Booksmart is successful in that it reverses stereotypes without creating new, equally harmful ones, something that is worth praise and celebration. Also, it’s hilarious, so give it a watch and enjoy.
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