Between Blockers and Eighth Grade, I’m quite glad that we’re
getting a bit more variety when it comes to high school-set coming of age
stories on the big screen. Not only is it making the teenaged multiplex less of
a sausage fest, it’s also highlighting that there’s a whole heap of narrative
opportunities that we’ve been missing out on as a collective audience. What’s
more, we’re once again dealing with a directorial debut in the form of Olivia
Wilde. Knowing what happened last time we checked in on her cinematic efforts, not
being left with any good things to say about her, I am both surprised and quite
relieved that this film works out as well as it does.
