As an uncompromising teenager who constantly butts heads with her mother, Saoirse Ronan set the bar high in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. As plot hooks go, it’s probably not strong enough to hold up a sweater, but teen comedies have been built on shakier foundations, and Booksmart is so smart you’ll forgive its WTF premise. They exhibit all the push and pull of an actual friendship, from the hang-loose goofball moments to the serious, I’ve-got-to-unburden-myself-or-I’ll-die times of crisis. It’s a triumph from first-time director Olivia Wilde, who’s had her share of pretty-young-thing roles as an actor and now disappears behind the camera to show us a side we’ve never seen. It’s been that way since Simon & Garfunkel backed The Graduate, or Simple Minds gave us the theme to The Breakfast Club.

Source: National Post May 23, 2019 18:59 UTC