Support the Girls 🍺 / Booksmart 🎓 / Palm Springs 🌴
Happy Thursday! Today I’m resurfacing some old recommendations because summer has me booked and blessed — you’ll have fresh recs next week. Speaking of summer, here are three summer-based comedies about friendship (and maybe more). If you know someone that might like this newsletter, share it with them:
A long read for the weekend: Five NY Times Critics gave their commentary on the ongoing controversy surrounding In the Heights, the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical. They discuss colorism, Hollywood’s resistance to change, and accountability.
Happy Pride Weekend, NYC! Stay safe, stay hydrated, and show the world who we are. I love you. ❤️🏳️🌈
Support the Girls 🍺
Support the Girls follows the lives of a group of waitresses at a Hooters-like restaurant in Texas. In particular, the manager Lisa (Regina Hall) and her two friends and employees Macy (Haley Lu Richardson) and Danyelle (Shayna McHayle) as they throw a car wash fundraiser to help a co-worker. [Trailer]
Why you should watch it: When it comes to movies with heart, Support the Girls might have the biggest heart of all. There’s not much of a plot to speak of — it’s just a day in the life of this diverse group of women — but what it lacks in story it makes up for in complex and deeply human characters that leave you wanting to be a better friend, co-worker, and person. It also helps the Regina Hall gives the best performance of her career (even better than this) and one of the best of the decade.
As one character notes, you cry until you laugh and you laugh until you scream. If Support the Girls wants you to walk away with one thing it’s that it’s okay to do all those things. Life is frustrating. Just take it one day at a time. 91 mins.
Booksmart 🎓
Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) have been friends since childhood, but have never connected with their classmates who they have always seen as slack offs. However, on the eve of their high school graduation, they find out that those same “slack offs” have gotten into the same top universities as they did. Determined to not let high school go to waste, they have a hilariously debaucherous (and sometimes illegal) Grad night. [Trailer]
Why you should watch it: I don’t think I’ve laughed harder at a movie in theaters. There’s so much to admire about Booksmart, Feldstein and Dever’s charismatic performances, Wilde’s assured directorial style, the supporting cast, the rich themes around identity and coming-of-age, but what makes it a delight is the humor. Wilde brings a natural rhythm to the movie that makes each joke and gag land with impact. And refreshingly, it’s inoffensive and doesn’t rely on gross-out gags (what a concept!).
And like Game Night (🚨bonus recommendation), Booksmart lets its jokes gestate without going for an easy punchline — some take the entire movie to pay off. And while the goofs and gags are what keep it entertaining, there are some genuinely touching storylines, particularly with Dever’s Amy. She’s a groundbreaking queer character in broad comedy. 105 mins.
Palm Springs 🌴
When carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Christin Millioti) have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, they don’t realize that their one-night stand is going to be a lot longer than they thought. [Trailer]
Why you should watch it: The time loop movie has been done countless times across multiple genres—most famously the Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day. It’s a genre in and of itself that seems like it couldn’t be made new again. However, director Max Barbakow finds something fresh with Palm Springs. While the movieis certainly a playful romp, it has an engrossing plot and complete character arcs that are made even more interesting by the time loop.
As the movietrudges forward through multiple upbeat montages, it takes time to slow down and spend real time getting to know Nyles and Sarah. Not only is it hilarious with rarely a minute without a joke, it never gets repetitive or boring. Which is a feat considering the entire plot is about a single day repeating over and over again. It’s not surprising this sold for such a large sum because this feels like a classic broad romantic comedy in the making. For all its ridiculousness and trademark Lonely Island shenanigans, the movie has a strong beating heart. 90 mins. [Full review]
📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.