Let me start off by saying that I really love this movie! I saw it in theaters when it came out, not knowing what to expect, and I totally loved it. I decided to watch it again recently and it was still just as fun.
It's sad to say that the best part of this movie is its relatability. Do I really want to relate to the main characters, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein)? The plot summarized is essentially that these two girls worked non-stop throughout high school, dead-set on getting into top colleges (Columbia and Yale, respectively), but on their last day of senior year they discover that all the other kids had gotten into the same schools as they did! Frustrated that everyone else had a "good time" in high school--partying and not only focusing on school--and still got into the top schools, Amy and Molly decide to cram four years of fun into one night before they graduate. It sounds like a good plot, right? Under Olivia Wilde's direction, the film is perfect.
While slightly unrealistic, the movie really made me question my priorities as a high school student. Of course, the coronavirus has made my high school experience significantly different from Molly and Amy's, and it's likely that my senior year will not look anything like I had expected, a vision shaped by High School Musical 3 and countless other movies. This isn't to say that I don't have fun, but I certainly am not having the romanticized "high school experience" that I always hear so much about. Oh well! Who needs it? Though I guess that is what Molly and Amy thought as well. Their sense of superiority to others is something that I see in myself at times, and I regret that I won't have the kind of redemption-night-of-fun that they got at the end.
There are so many funny scenes in this movie, and I feel like the dialogue is creative and reflective of teenagers today. One of my favorite scenes is when the girls are both hallucinating on drugs and they see themselves as plastic Barbie dolls. It's so smart! When I make a movie one day, I hope it is as creative as this one. The one issue that I have with this film, and I've heard it mentioned before, is the use of the word "Malala": basically, when one of the girls says "Malala," (which they can only do once a year) the other one has to agree to do whatever they want; it's like a veto but the other way around. I don't really know why "Malala" is an appropriate word for that, and I don't love that they are using Malala's name to go to a party... seems a bit off to me. Otherwise, I truly do think that the women in this film are so inspirational and the writing itself is great! Highly recommend!
Yes! Your review read my mind. Watching the movie I had the exact same response- why do I feel exactly the same as these characters?? I had been feeling that way for a while, and watching the movie a few months ago, coincidentally on the last day of school, was emotional because FINALLY someone put my fears and thoughts into an incredibly beautiful movie. Absolutely enjoyed it too, laughed, admired the artistic choices that worked so well and loved watching the characters going about their journeys.