10 Things I Hate About You
Though it’s much more rom-com-y than any of the other entries in my list, this late-90’s classic is actually a great choice to follow up the high school vibes of Booksmart.
Booksmart received a lot of praise for its nuanced depiction of different groups in high school (theater kids, party kids, etc.) without making the cliquey lines that hard to cross. 10 Things I Hate About You does maintain a clique-centered look at high school through David Krumholtz’s tour of the school at the start of the movie, but the teen experiences still resonate with plot points in Booksmart.
First of all, the entire plot of 10 Things I Hate About You is propelled by the desire to get Kat to engage in normal teen behavior like parties and prom even though she usually limits her social circle to her best friend, Mandella. If she and the Booksmart girls were to meet, they would definitely understand each other!
Furthermore, Booksmart populates its character’s dialogue and background set pieces with famous women who smash the glass ceiling. It did my Women-And-Gender-Studies-Masters-Degree-Having-Heart a world of good to see young women on screen paying attention to feminism and feminist heroes. You know who else does that? Kat Stratford! She listens to Riot Grrrl music, hangs out in feminist bookstores, and taught 14-year-old me about the existence of The Feminine Mystique. It’s like she’s a little feminist mentor for the ladies of Booksmart!
Do you have any other favorite teen movies starring smart, funny gals? Tweet to @onfrolic to shout out your faves! And if you haven’t yet, you should absolutely check out Booksmart!