Booksmart (2019) ***

In Olivia Wilde's directing debut, Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play high-achieving BFFs on the last day of school. Having spent their school years buckled down, working hard, and notching academic achievements, they are smug in the knowledge that their hard work will put them miles ahead of their jock/stoner classmates in the game of life. They are stunned to discover that many of those slackers are also getting into Ivy League schools. Feeling like they may have done high school all wrong, the friends have a wild night trying to get to a graduation party that they view as their last chance to party. The adventure opens them up to new experiences, while testing their friendship.

If you feel like this sounds a lot like the 2007 movie "Superbad," you aren't alone. In interviews, Olivia Wilde has made known her displeasure at the frequent comparisons, blaming them on gender bias. The problem is, “Booksmart” pretty much IS a female version of “Superbad.” You would have to be blind to miss the similarities, and to top it off, Beanie Feldstein is actually the sister of “Superbad” star Jonah Hill. After watching “Booksmart,” I actually assumed that Wilde had intentionally done an adaptation of “Superbad,” so I was nonplussed to find her bitching and moaning about critics making the comparison.

The biggest difference between the two movies is that “Superbad” has an infinitely better supporting cast. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera get huge assists from Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fogell), Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Emma Stone, and Joe Lo Truglio, and even the actors with small parts knock it out of the park. (Remember the liquor store clerk, or the crazy fight guys at that one party?) “Booksmart” has an undistinguished supporting cast, and has to rely entirely on the charms of Dever and Feldstein.

So, “Booksmart” is pretty much a low-rent, female version of “Superbad.” I feel that justice demands making this completely clear, what with Olivia Wilde out there whining about gender bias. Is it any good? Fortunately, yes! Dever and Feldstein are hilarious together, and the movie is a fun, raunchy comedy. It's not a classic like “Superbad,” but you could do a lot worse. I suggest you take a break from studying, and check it out!

3 stars out of 5