FILM | REVIEWS
COMEDY BOOKSMART (15) 102min ●●●●●
Geek girls get a well-deserved blowout in the fabulous first feature from actor-turned-director Olivia Wilde. The teen party movie has been done to death but Booksmart boasts a fresh message and centres on characters who have traditionally been sidelined. Ballsy in its comedic and visual verve, Wilde’s debut pops all over the shop as it combines bags of bad attitude with savvy to spare. Hell-bent on becoming a Supreme Court justice, the aggressively self-possessed Molly (Beanie Feldstein) has made school her sole focus. When she discovers that several of her peers have managed to secure spots at Ivy League establishments without living like monks, she becomes psychotically jealous. And so, Molly and her similarly studious best friend Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) set out to fit four years of fun into a single all-nighter.
Feldstein (the supporting star of Lady Bird and sister of Jonah Hill) steps up to leading lady status with in-your-face aplomb in a strikingly confident comic turn, complemented by Wilde’s zesty direction, some killer put-downs and a swaggering hip hop soundtrack.
Not judging a book by its cover has rarely been applied so
broadly, in a film where no one is what they at first seem. Our protagonists’ predicament may be a platform for the usual hedonistic hilarity but it rings true in a society where pressure to succeed is triggering a mental health crisis among the young. Wonderfully played by a universally on-point ensemble, it’s rare to see this many believably drawn and diverse teenage characters. There are superficial shades of The Breakfast Club in the subversion of stereotypes but such comparisons ultimately feel redundant in an effervescent and edgy film that’s thoroughly in tune with our time. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Out now.
COMEDY DRAMA YESTERDAY (TBC) 112min ●●●●● DRAMA GLORIA BELL (15) 102min ●●●●●
DRAMA DIRTY GOD (TBC) 104min ●●●●●
Yesterday represents a long-overdue fusion of creative minds: Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis. The once-edgy Trainspotting director meets the cosy Notting Hill screenwriter for a story about the Beatles (or the absence of them); it feels like a match made in British film industry heaven.
The conceit is vaguely sci-fi. When the world suffers a brief electrical outage, aspiring singer- songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is knocked unconscious. On waking, he discovers that nobody has any idea who the Beatles are. Realising this gift-horse, Jack swiftly writes down all the Fab Four lyrics he can remember. With a little help from the lovely Ellie (Lily James), Jack manages to get some tracks down, which fall into the hands of Ed Sheeran (playing himself, to good comic effect). When Jack heads to LA to hook up with Kate McKinnon’s merciless agent, the film stumbles. If former EastEnders star Patel sings well, he’s a touch morose. Joel Fry adds pep as Jack’s roadie and it’s hard not to warm to a film filled with so many Beatles tracks. But it never quite convinces as a classic Curtis rom-com and lacks the euphoria of Boyle’s best work. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 28 Jun.
90 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019
As played by Julianne Moore, Gloria Bell is a lovelorn independent woman in her 50s, something that few films deem worth portraying. Reworking his 2013 Chilean drama, Sebastián Lelio’s latest deviates from the norm by being sensitive to Gloria’s highs and lows, even if those around her are not. Long divorced with grown-up children, Gloria
has summoned enough faltering self-confidence to seek out new romance in the LA nightlife scene. She begins a stuttering relationship with Arnold (John Turturro), who’s struggling with his family responsibilities now that he’s out of the marital home. After Arnold lets Gloria down in a painfully public way, she’s left with a choice: get him to shape up or risk ending up alone.
Lelio has an ideal lead in Moore, using a dowdy pastel wardrobe, oversized glasses and a series of lank hairdos to cement Gloria as a three-dimensional character. A regrettable weakness is the use of on-the-nose pop music to reflect its protagonist’s state-of-mind. However, such quibbles are banished by the rousing conclusion, while Moore gives one of her most sympathetic performances, ringing true as a mature, gutsy woman who won’t let her age, or the failings of men, define her. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Selected release from Thu 6 Jun.
A young woman is scarred by an acid attack in this London-set drama from Sacha Polak. The Dutch director has cast an actress with real facial scarring: newcomer Vicky Knight, who was burned in a fire as a child. Knight puts in a sensitive, understated performance as Jade, a mother and party girl who struggles to settle back into either role after her appearance is drastically altered – never mind the trauma of having been disfigured by her boyfriend. In the tradition of social realist films like Fish Tank,
it’s light on exposition and heavy on naturalistic dialogue, presenting a riveting portrait of the life of a working-class woman experiencing a radical change. But there’s something even bolder about this film: Jade isn’t defined by her situation and it’s unusual and empowering to see her having online sex with strangers. This is tinged with sadness, though: dim lighting and distance is the only way she feels comfortable.
Dirty God isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a rewarding one that marks Knight and Polak out as exceptional talents and challenges preconceptions about attractiveness in a thought-provoking way. It’s the movie we need in 2019. More, please. (Anna Smith) ■ Selected release from Fri 7 Jun.