Booksmart

         Twelve years after "Superbad" comes the female equivalent with a fresh perspective. Rather than the nerdy boys of "Superbad", looking to party and have sex, we now have the super smart best friends, Amy and Molly, played respectively by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein.  Both girls have always played by the rules preparing for college throughout high school and on the night before graduation, they decide it's time to break all their rules and just have one crazy night before everything changes.

          First time director, actress Olivia Wilde handles her cast and story with a confident hand and eye. The film is a fast paced, fresh take on the high school coming of age story that still has plenty of raunchy comedy and yet is very heartfelt and genuine. Ms. Dever and Ms. Feldstein are terrific together with great chemistry and while the rest of the cast may come off as stereotypical characters, they too, will surprise you. One wonderfully original character is Gigi, played by a terrific Billie Lourd.

          The film has a great soundtrack that compliments the story and helps keep the pace frenetic. Of course nothing goes as planned and the girls have some very original adventures before reaching the ultimate pre-graduation night party. Humorous situations and dialog run throughout, including some very funny cameo bits by Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte.

            "Booksmart" will win you over with its humor and heart.

Long Shot

             Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan star in this Rom-Com that gives hope to geek boys everywhere. Mr. Rogan plays Fred Flarsky, a journalist hired by his ex-babysitter, Ms. Theron, now the Secretary of State. When she decides to run for president, Fred becomes her speech writer. And while the pairing is odd, an unlikely romance develops between the two.

                You can't imagine the plot working but the chemistry of the two stars is so good, it actually becomes believable.  Very crass dialog runs throughout but it is also a smart comedy with lots of great laugh out loud moments. There is also a key scene that I just can't describe but you will know it when you see it and probably not forget it for some time.

                 The film costars Bob Odenkirk, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis (unrecognizable but always good), June Diane Raphael, and Alexander Skarsgard. Mr. Odenkirk plays the clueless President, Mr. Jackson Jr. is Fred's best friend and Mr. Serkis is a wealthy, despicable media mogul who has the President in his pocket. Ms. Raphael is the Secretary's assistant who can't stand Fred and tries to undermine him at every turn.

                  Mr. Rogan and Ms. Theron are an unlikely duo to star in a Rom-Com but the script turns the genre on it's head and elevates it beyond what you might typically expect.