There is an art to making a good stoner comedy. Far too often directors mistakenly assume that simply having characters who are too high to understand the seriousness of the situation they find themselves in is all you need for an hour and a half of laughs. In reality, as Dylan Meyer’s amusing feature directorial debut The Wrong Girls effortlessly displays, it is the endearing nature of the individuals themselves that generate the biggest laughs.
Similar to an unassuming jock who turns out to be a musical savant, The Wrong Girls subverts expectations by making its seemingly dimwitted leads smarter than they appear.
Inseparable best friends and roommates Frankie (Kristen Stewart) and Molly (Alia Shawkat) enjoy getting high almost as much as they love each other. While they would be content to live in the hazy philosophical stupor that the weed leaves them in, reality is knocking loudly at their door. Not only are they $2400 behind on their rent, but Molly’s boyfriend Josh (Zach Fox) is encouraging her to move in with him.
Perturbed by the fact that their perfect bubble of friendship could potentially pop, Frankie’s life begins to spiral. Adding salt to her emotional wound is the fact that the guy she was seeing has moved on to a new woman, Frances (Stewart in a dual role), who is not only a doppelganger for her, but also has a great job as a scientist.
The interesting thing is that Frankie and Molly could easily be as successful as Frances if they each were able to climb over the wall of fear that is keeping them in a static state. Frankie may work as an Amazon delivery driver, but she was on a path towards an engineering degree at Stanford before a mental breakdown derailed her. While Molly has a more stable job working with spreadsheets, her real passion is cooking and becoming a restaurateur.
Their lofty dreams seem to float further away when a drunken case of mistaken identity results in a mysterious man, Not Metal Head Dave (LaKeith Stanfield), handing Frankie a briefcase full of psychedelic drugs intended for Frances. Unprepared for how potent the experimental drugs are, and gaining telepathy in the process, Frankie and Molly decide to sell the remaining batch so that they can finally pay their rent.
As luck would have it, one of Frankie’s wealthy delivery customers, Martin Flynn (Tony Hale), is having a party, giving them the perfect opportunity to off load the product. However, what the best buds do not realize is that several individuals, ranging from a trio of Danish men in white suits (Thomas La Barbera Christensen, Thor Knai, Thomas Nicholson) to a scientist (Kate McKinnon), are actively trying to acquire the case.
Factor in a trippy giant squid and a running gag involving the roommates talking cats (Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani) and you have a film that takes wildly amusing swings even if it doesn’t always connect.
Filled with outlandish characters and subtle jabs at everything from men’s obsessions with guns to the shady practices of corporations like Amazon, The Wrong Girls proves there is still plenty left to smoke out of the stoner comedy genre. Offering a refreshingly feminist take on the tropes made popular in modern works like Pineapple Express and Friday. Meyer’s script never dumbs down it central characters, which allow their deep bond to always remain at the forefront.
Frankie and Molly may lament the closing of their favourite lunch spot, where they had plenty of coupons to exploit, and share a deep love for classic Celine Dion songs, but the audience never confuses their quirky bond with lack of intelligence. Anchored by Stewart and Shawkat’s wonderful chemistry, Frankie and Molly feel like real people who, despite their love of illicit drug, are facing the challenges that come with change. The women feel fully in control of their destiny, even if they do not always realize the power they hold.
In weaving the women’s journey towards maturity with a healthy dose of oddball humour, Meyer’s constructs a film that serves as a welcome addition to the genre. An entertaining and charming comedy, The Wrong Girls embraces the power of friendship and its ability to withstand the ups and downs that come with being an adult.
