Honor Society

This is a much better movie than I thought it would be. I started watching it just to kill time before bedtime, streaming on Prime, but Angourie Rice is so good as Honor Rose that I got immersed in it.

It is about a group of high school students, mostly about the four top seniors who are being evaluated for a nomination to Harvard. Honor wants it really badly, she pretty well knows who the other three are, so she sets about to systematically detract them from their studies with important midterms coming up.

While her plan is working she also learns more about each one of them and unwittingly helps them achieve things that were lacking. A side story is one of her competitors writing a play and having it produced by the senior class. The underlying message is to be your best self that you can be and care about others.

Good movie. Did I mention how good Angourie Rice is in the role of Honor Rose?

Not another teen movie with young adults playing high school students? Yes, but this one's a winner. It's clever, witty, engaging, has heart and is knocked out of the park by a star winning performance by Angourie Rice. I enjoyed how the tone shifted from Machiavellian to honesty and truth, though the counselor/student sub plot is a little creepy. Should appeal to all ages and I'm an old dude.

There is something special about this movie, although it doesn't have great comedy, romance, thrill and star-cast/budget to get a 7 from me but the story telling is so delightful that I couldnt resist. The character development and twist in the movie is delightful and surprising at the same time. I watched this movie because I really like Angourie from The Nice Guys. As mentioned in the other reviews she is really underrated compared to other Young/ teenage celebrities like Millie Bobby, Jenna Ortega etc.

Back to the film, it is very delightful tale of a young ambitious girl who is ambitious and driven yet has a heart of gold which you'll like if you are into that sort of emotional tale.

Overall it is a very good movie, but ending feels rushed and generic.

Still script(loved Goodman since he wrote that Futurama episode) and Rice acting make it an enjoyable watch.

Ignore the negative reviews and give this movie a chance.

Yes, you've seen the "popular kid befriends nerd to manipulate them for the benefit of the popular kid only to experience a change of heart" movie before.

But you've never seen it done like this.

Angourie Rice - a criminally underutilized and under-appreciated actress - gets to shine in this role. The breaking of the 4th wall to talk directly to the audience throughout the film and keep the viewer on the "inside" of Honor's less than honorable plan is a fun twist and great storytelling mechanism.

The big twist at the end was also unexpected - I mean, you know SOMETHING was coming but I don't think many saw that coming.

Is this an award winning, groundbreaking film?

No - but it takes a tried and true formula of coming of age/romcom movies we have seen for decades - and comes at it from a different angle, with a slightly different outcome than we've seen before. Most people will laugh/smile/tear up throughout.

The result is an enjoyable 97 minutes.