In particular, it should be noted that Booksmart is drawing heavily from Superbad, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Freaks and Geeks – in addition to a number of John Hughes movies.
Put all of these elements together, and you’re left with a film that definitely doesn’t feel like it’s specifically designed for any gender or type of audience.
Of course, a big reason why Booksmart aims to have such universal appeal is the sheer number of classic high school properties that it has drawn from in the development of its story.
The presence of Beanie Feldstein on the movie’s cast will likely draw comparisons to Lady Bird, but during our visit to the set of the film earlier this year, we learned a lot about the other high school movies that have provided DNA to this one.