Fall is in the air, so what better time to immerse yourself in the warm blanket of a raunchy R-rated comedy? Genre director Andy Palmer tries his hand at comedy instead, and the results are quite hilarious. The ensemble cast first caught my attention—namely, Britt Robertson (The First Time, I Still Believe), Ty Simpkins (Insidious, The Whale), and Jamie Pressly (Not Another Teen Movie, Can’t Hardly Wait). Assembling talent is only half the battle without a capable crew behind them; a script from Todd F. Friedman and Kevin Haskin revels in cliche and fun. Destined to become a late-night comfort movie watch, The Re-Education of Molly Singer feels pulled fresh off the shelves of early-2000s Blockbuster.
Molly Singer (Robertson) is an absolute hot mess. Her fond college memories consist of sex, tailgating, and parties without a single bill to pay. Post-college, that $473,000 debt in student loans tell a very different story. Now eight years later, Molly has become an attorney, but failed to leave her partying days behind her. The final straw sees Molly surreptitiously let go from the firm. When Molly’s sassy boss Brenda (Pressly) gives her an ultimatum, how can she possibly say no? With Brenda’s socially awkward son, Elliot (Sympkins), starting college, the only way of talking him down from the MMA-style TikTok ledge he has climbed out on is to get Elliot to open up emotionally. Molly is tasked with taking Elliot under her wing, and getting him to come out of his shell. Surely, an easy ask, right?
Giving Elliot the She’s All That treatment may be a little more difficult than it looks on paper. It doesn’t help that day one, a skating incident involving a potential draft pick turns Elliot into a calamitous viral meme. Redoing Elliot’s wardrobe and overall look is the easy part, especially with someone as charming and adorable as Sympkins filling the character’s shoes. Rebuilding his image may be another story entirely. Molly befriends him under the guise of being genuine, not disclosing that she has actually been hired by his overly-concerned mother.
The Re-Education of Molly Singer gets made all the more fun in that Molly herself reenrolls in her alma mater, reliving her college glory days in a way while being able to access them in a new light. Her best friend, Ollie (Nico Santos), stays beside her, doing anything he can to help prop Elliot up as the coolest kid on campus. Whether that means crushing the competition at a “Boozecathalon” or becoming cool by way of being well-endowed after a douche pulls down his pants, Elliot will soon be top dog on campus with a newfound confidence! The returning to college angle easily evokes Drew Barrymore classic, Never Been Kissed.
The Re-Education of Molly Singer is a sweet, well-made film that allows the audience to laugh along with its characters. Some of the humor emerges in unexpected ways, such as the ridiculous sports commentators passionate about beer pong, or talk of “eating your assholes for breakfast.” Mostly, The Re-Education of Molly Singer‘s a really entertaining and emotionally satisfying look at life after college. It is never too late to become the truest version of yourself, and even as adults we are always learning and growing. Be sure to stick around during the credits for a series of fun bloopers, only adding to the late 90s/early 2000s feel.
Sign up for classes to see The Re-Education of Molly Singer when the film debuts in theaters and digital/on demand on Friday, September 29th.
