benbess
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Mostly funny. "B"
Just got back from seeing this. Dever was the reason I was interested. In my opinion, she's one of the best young actresses working today. She is great in this movie, despite not having as flashy a role as Feldstein.Dever was really good as I forgot how good she was in "Justified" as Loretta McCready.
It didn't have a high laughs-per-minute count, but the laughs it did have were pretty high impact. I felt like it was a movie that picked up steam as it went along; Molly and Amy are so rigid and unlikable at the start that it takes a while to warm up to them. By the end of the movie, I was really invested in their journey, and there were some really delightful payoffs.The reviews have my attention -- but the trailer, and the six-minute clip of the opening they put online last week, have done absolutely nothing for me. I think it just looks bad. I only laughed once in the entire opening sequence, at the Shakespeare in the Park reference.
So...for those who have seen it...is it really so good that I should ignore my instincts to stay away from it and go?
It didn't have a high laughs-per-minute count, but the laughs it did have were pretty high impact. I felt like it was a movie that picked up steam as it went along; Molly and Amy are so rigid and unlikable at the start that it takes a while to warm up to them. By the end of the movie, I was really invested in their journey, and there were some really delightful payoffs.
I liked the last six minutes many multiples more than I liked the first six minutes. As I mentioned earlier, it's a movie that builds up steam as it goes along, and the last third or so was a really enjoyable movie with some surprising depth and a lot of genuine entertainment value.So I guess what my actual question is is: are the first six minutes and the trailer an accurate forecast of what to expect in tone and content from the rest of the film?
Is that worth sitting through a first third that is by and large like the first six minutes that you disliked so much? I can't answer that question for you.
The main thing is that Beanie Feldstein's character is A LOT, if you know what I mean, and it takes a while for the movie to start humanizing her.I can't really imagine wanting to sit there in a theater watching a first third that's like the opening scene. From that, it sounds like I might just be better off waiting until this one pops up on Netflix or Prime, which I already subscribe to. That way I'm still seeing it but if I don't like it, I'm not out any money.
For an arthouse type indy that would only be playing on one screen I definitely wouldn't go to the theater without knowing the schedule.
For anecdotal purposes only, since you're sort of asking ... I'm not interested in the film mostly because of the subject matter. Don't have any interest in a film about high school girls and their Hangover-style shenanigans (which is my impresson of the film, correct or not, based on what I've seen/heard).
I have no idea why!
The better question is, why not? All of the mega-blockbuster openings are out of the way and the only new wide release is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. That leaves space for a small comedy to come back in and maybe make a little bit of money as counterprogramming. I don't know if it will work, but I think in theory it could work. If you've seen all the big tentpoles, and you're not into the violence which OUATIH is sure to be soaked with, catching up with Booksmart could be an appealing option for some people. They really don't have much to lose by trying this; if it works, great, and if it doesn't, they'll just shed those screens next week.
Cinemark has said on their Facebook page that tickets are only $5 this weekend, but it's not actually being re-booked at my local theater.
It already played at my big Cinemark for a month, followed by a separate two-week run at my arthouse, and those theaters are about five minutes away from each other. So they probably feel that the people here who wanted to see it have already done so. The only place in town that has it now (and has had it for a while) is the second-run dollar theater on the opposite side of town from me where tickets would be less than that anyway. So I won't go again. But I'm happy to see it being re-expanded in other places.