Watch Booksmart: Now playing in theaters

In hopes to provide some solid counter-programming to Disney’s Aladdin and James Gunn’s Brightburn, Annapurna Pictures is coming out of the gate with critically acclaimed high school comedy, Booksmart – now playing in theaters.

The end of May is a special time for going to the movies. The pressures of school (not counting summer school) have been alleviated for the summer and schedules are freed up for parties, nights in at home, and spontaneous trips to everywhere and nowhere in the middle of the night. Even with a job, the prospect of a warm and sunny summer is comforting, so why not make some time for a trip to the movies?

It’s no wonder that big superhero epics and event films land sometime in April and May to take advantage of students looking for a 2-3 hour cleanser of all the stress they’ve put up with over the past year.

For this year, the likes of Endgame, John Wick 3, and Aladdin are trying to tap into that newly opened market. It is that market that is therefore perfect to connect with for Annapurna Pictures’ newest studio film, the Olivia Wilde comedy known as Booksmart.

Being hailed as the “female Superbad” , Booksmart takes us back to the familiar, maybe distant world of high school as we follow Amy and Molly (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein), two intelligent, if not overachieving high school students who make it their mission to attend a big party at the end of the school year to prove just how fun they can really be when they’re not burying their noses in schoolbooks.

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Booksmart is being helmed by first-time director, Olivia Wilde, and is presenting itself as the perfect end-of-the-year anecdote for kids and adults who yearn for the chance to become social butterflies with their more popular colleagues.

Our main characters aren’t exactly the dopey losers that we’re used to following in these high school party comedies. Following around a couple of sassy bookworms has a level of sincerity that is not often seen in these comedies and Wilde makes sure to use the characters to their fullest potential.

Booksmart is directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. The film stars Kaitlyn Dever (from Short Term 12), Beanie Feldstein (from Lady Bird), Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudekis, and Billie Lourd. Thanks to its heavy competition, Booksmart will be released in 2,500 theaters for Memorial Day weekend.

Booksmart is far from the biggest release coming out this weekend and there is a chance that it might not be playing in your theater to make way for Aladdin. But if you and/or your friends are looking for a hilarious romp through one night of self-discovery, accidental drug trips, and a dash of Death Grips, Booksmart delivers that in spades and MUCH more. It may be a smaller movie, but it is equally worth your time and is available to see in theaters now!

Have you seen Booksmart? If yes, what did you think? If no, what are your thoughts on watching it? Sound off below!