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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 4 May 2019
Summer Movie Preview: The women behind 'Booksmart'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If likes "Superbad" and under-
you've heard anything stands there are similarities,
about the film "Booksmart," she doesn't love the de-
you've probably also heard scriptor.
the words "female 'Su- "I do kind of bristle at com-
perbad'." The high school parisons that female-led
comedy is about two best films are granted, as though
friends over the course of we can't be our own film,"
one epic 24-hour period. Wilde said. "I can't wait till
And, yes, the friends are someone does that to a
women played by Kaitlyn guy's movie, like this is a
Dever and Beanie Feldstein guy's 'Booksmart.'"
(incidentally, Jonah Hill's sis- "Booksmart" is the kind of
ter). movie that might inspire
While director Olivia Wilde that kind of change when it

This image released by Annapurna Pictures shows Billie Lourd, left, and Kaitlyn Dever in a scene
from the film "Booksmart," directed by Olivia Wilde.
Associated Press

opens nationwide on May portant story to tell. I hadn't without any movie stars.
24. It's a generational an- seen that in a great young And that is rare! I don't
them about two super-stu- female best friends com- know another studio who
dents who on the last night edy. And the clarity with would have let me cast
of school decide to break which I could see it made whoever I wanted."
their own rules and attend me feel like I had to direct Her tonal touchstones
some parties. it." ranged the gamut from
It's so of the moment that And with that, Wilde, El- teen classics like "Dazed
it might come as a surprise baum and writer Katie Sil- and Confused" and "Fast
that the script has been berman ("Set It Up") got to Times at Ridgemont High,"
around for a decade, origi- work translating the script to the likes of "Beverly Hills
nally written by Emily Halp- into something that would Cop" and "The Blues Broth-
ern and Sarah Haskins, with be representative of teens ers."
revisions a few years later in 2019. Silberman had the She even suggested that
by Susanna Fogel. Eventu- idea that even the party her leads live together dur-
ally, Gloria Sanchez Pro- kids at the school were ing the shoot in Los Ange-
ductions founder Jessica smart, not just the protago- les. Feldstein and Dever
Elbaum got a call about nists Molly (Feldstein) and went above and beyond
it. Annapurna was looking Amy (Dever). and did so during pre-pro-
for a director, and she had "I was a real Molly," Silber- duction too.
an unconventional idea: man said. "I learned too "They worked 90 hours a
Wilde, who had never di- late that all the people I week shooting the film and
rected a movie. thought were just cool were then would go home and
"I said, I know you have no absolutely as smart as me if live together and spend
reason to say yes to this, but not smarter. So it was kind 100 percent of their time
I'm telling you, Olivia Wilde of wish fulfillment of what I together which is why the
is going to be an amazing hoped had happened be- texture of that chemistry is
director," Elbaum said. fore I graduate." tangible, it's authentic," Wil-
The two had been friends They had total freedom de said. "That's something
for years and were work- when it came to casting, you just can't fake."
ing on something else to- and while there are famil- On the set, which Elbaum
gether. And even though iar adult faces in support- describes as the "happiest"
Wilde had only directed a ing roles like Wilde's partner she's ever been on, Wilde
few music videos, Elbaum Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow also took a page from Mar-
had a hunch that this was and Will Forte, the teens are tin Scorsese and asked that
the perfect fit for the ac- all up and comers and un- her cast not have scripts on
tress' feature debut. And knowns and some who au- set. Much to Elbaum's sur-
she was right. diences haven't yet seen prise, everyone obliged.
"This was a movie I really the full potential of, like Billie The film premiered earlier
wanted to see," said Wilde. Lourd in a breakout come- this year to an enthusiastic
"It was a story about two dic performance. response at the South by
very smart girls who are "It's a not a huge budget, Southwest Film Festival, and
best friends at a time in life but we didn't make it for they've been showing it at
when your best friends are $100,000 in our back yard," colleges around the coun-
what allow you to survive Wilde said. "(Annapurna) try to similarly positive reac-
adolescence. That is an im- enabled us to make a film tions since. q