Let's start by saying I'm sure I'm not the target demographic for this film. A 50s male whose favourite film this year has been the mesmerising Norwegian indie horror, The Innocents. Much to my surprise, this is now a solid second on that list.
High school senior Honor seems to have it all. She's attractive, intelligent, popular, has loving parents and a nice home. She is also obsessed with getting into Harvard, meaning true friendships and love are distractions she can do without. Her focus has been to get the Harvard connected school guidance counselor to give them her recommendation, but she is devastated to hear that she has three rivals. She sets about devising plans to scupper the chances of socially awkward Kennedy, school heartthrob Travis and nerdy loner Michael. Needless to say all does not go to plan and lives will change.
Honor Society is a delight from start to finish. It lies in the territory of the higher rated Election and Mean Girls, but this is equally as funny and has more heart than either.
Although many will be drawn by Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo as Michael, this is Angourie Rice's film. So good as Ryan Gosling's daughter in Nice Guys, she is absolutely dazzling as Honor. Her character spends a lot of time talking to the camera, which could easily have become irritating. Thanks to sharp direction and a witty script, Rice's Honor sidesteps that landmine and you become invested in her character arc. The supporting cast are all great too, with particular mention to Christopher Mintz-Plasse as creepy Mr Calvin and Amy Keum as quirky oddball Kennedy.
As is so often the case, the actors portraying the high school seniors generally look a few years too old for the roles, but we've seen far worse. And it was a nice change to see the characters not looking as though they had all just finished a modelling shoot!
There are a few minor quibbles. Mr Calvin seems unlikely to get a job as the school janitor, let alone the guidance counselor, and the ditzy duo of Talia and Emma seem unlikely candidates for the most popular girls in school, but there's very little to complain about.
It's a shame this hasn't had a theatrical release as it deserves a wider audience. In the post-summer box office slump, this could easily have been a minor hit for Paramount before landing on their streaming service.
High school senior Honor seems to have it all. She's attractive, intelligent, popular, has loving parents and a nice home. She is also obsessed with getting into Harvard, meaning true friendships and love are distractions she can do without. Her focus has been to get the Harvard connected school guidance counselor to give them her recommendation, but she is devastated to hear that she has three rivals. She sets about devising plans to scupper the chances of socially awkward Kennedy, school heartthrob Travis and nerdy loner Michael. Needless to say all does not go to plan and lives will change.
Honor Society is a delight from start to finish. It lies in the territory of the higher rated Election and Mean Girls, but this is equally as funny and has more heart than either.
Although many will be drawn by Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo as Michael, this is Angourie Rice's film. So good as Ryan Gosling's daughter in Nice Guys, she is absolutely dazzling as Honor. Her character spends a lot of time talking to the camera, which could easily have become irritating. Thanks to sharp direction and a witty script, Rice's Honor sidesteps that landmine and you become invested in her character arc. The supporting cast are all great too, with particular mention to Christopher Mintz-Plasse as creepy Mr Calvin and Amy Keum as quirky oddball Kennedy.
As is so often the case, the actors portraying the high school seniors generally look a few years too old for the roles, but we've seen far worse. And it was a nice change to see the characters not looking as though they had all just finished a modelling shoot!
There are a few minor quibbles. Mr Calvin seems unlikely to get a job as the school janitor, let alone the guidance counselor, and the ditzy duo of Talia and Emma seem unlikely candidates for the most popular girls in school, but there's very little to complain about.
It's a shame this hasn't had a theatrical release as it deserves a wider audience. In the post-summer box office slump, this could easily have been a minor hit for Paramount before landing on their streaming service.
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