Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, “Booksmart,” is a wonderfully sweet and wild ride.

Following the same recipe of success for movies such as “Superbad” and “Project X,” “Booksmart” finds its two protagonists yearning to break free from their school-centric lives and join their peers in teenage shenanigans before graduation.

The film, starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, is a perfect coming-of-age film to kick off the summer. Set in Los Angeles in late May, Dever and Feldstein adapt to their roles as graduating seniors, Amy and Molly, with ease.

Molly, the president of her class and soon-to-be Yale student, likes to be in control and has mapped her entire life out from an early age. This meant no parties, no drugs, no alcohol: all things that defined “coolness” at her high school. Amy came out as a lesbian in the tenth grade, frequents women’s rights marches and has multiple sex and body-positive posters in her room.

Amy and Molly’s senior year caps off with a sudden realization. After years of looking down on her classmates for partying and being reckless, Molly learns that all the classmates she deemed inferior are attending prestigious colleges themselves. This prompts Molly to call a “Malala,” a situation where one friend must support the other, no questions asked.

The “Malala” request forces Amy into attending an end-of-school-year party. It is here, Molly hopes, that she and Molly will finally experience a high school party and be seen as more than studious robots.

The tried-and-true plot line has found success in many teen movies throughout the years. “Revenge of the Nerds,” “The House Bunny,” “Superbad” and “Project X” all follow unpopular students seeking to partake in the activities of their more popular peers to gain popularity.

In the same vein as “Superbad,” “Booksmart” finds the two main characters breaking laws and coming into contact with insanely hilarious characters throughout, such as their self-loathing and stress-ridden principal, Jordan Brown (Jason Sudeikis).

While Amy and Molly’s troubles make up the main plot, “Booksmart” finds strength in its supporting characters. The omnipresent, always-intoxicated Gigi, spoiled-but-sweet Jared and Jason Sudeikis’ Principal Brown all steal the show with witty outbursts and familiar-feeling personalities.

“Booksmart” does many things right. The characters feel like people you know in real life. Sure, the movie adheres to all the typical high school stereotypes; the jocks, the stoners, the popular girls, the nerds and theatre kids are all accounted for. However, “Booksmart” makes sure not to denigrate any particular group — instead focusing on what each group brings to their school’s culture.

The performances of Fernstein and Dever are superb, with each outburst of dancing and nasty arguments feeling incredibly real. Amy’s infatuation with Ryan, a sun-kissed California skater girl; and Molly’s secret love for Noah, a man she’s claimed to resent all throughout high school, offer compelling-enough moments of romance.

“Booksmart” is an outrageously unrealistic version of high school life. While seniors leaving high school often commit pranks, spraying fire extinguishers, throwing paper and spraying silly string throughout the halls usually leads to extreme consequences. But that’s where “Booksmart” shines; it’s a tale of everything you want high school to be. Summer nights, wild parties and being surrounded by people you’ve known since you were in kindergarten all tap into nostalgic feelings within the audience.

“Booksmart” is an innovative, funny and sweet movie, but unfortunately did not perform well in its opening weekend.

In the already unattractive Friday-Monday Memorial Day weekend opening slot, “Booksmart” was destined to gain meager profits. In its opening weekend, “Booksmart” has only grossed $8.7 million. The movie, geared toward older teens and 20-somethings is also overshadowed by the live-action “Aladdin,” and “John Wick 3.”

It’s a shame, because “Booksmart” is probably the best comedy of 2019 so far.

Verdict:

9/10