The Wrong Girls is the kind of movie where you pretty much know what to expect going in. Two friends, plenty of soft drugs, an absurd story, and of course a series of problems that only get bigger as they stray further from the straight and narrow. Dylan Meyer’s latest film makes little effort to reinvent the stoner comedy genre. Fortunately, that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Because while The Wrong Girls ultimately feels more like a light and easy in-between movie, there is still enough here to make it an entertaining watch.
The Wrong Girls Is a Typical Stoner Comedy
In The Wrong Girls, we follow Frankie (Kristen Stewart) and Molly (Alia Shawkat), two friends and roommates who are struggling to get their lives together. When a bizarre chain of events puts them in possession of experimental drugs, their already chaotic lives turn into an increasingly absurd rollercoaster.
Of course, with stoner comedies, you often have to be in a certain mood. It’s a genre that works best when you’re in the mood for silly situations, strange characters, and a story that doesn’t always take itself seriously. At the same time, these movies often have a childish charm that means they can work at pretty much any time of day and for almost anyone.
That is also the case with The Wrong Girls. It’s simply quite enjoyable.
The movie mainly wants to take us along for the chaos surrounding Frankie and Molly, without demanding too much from the viewer. Everything is light, colorful, and primarily designed to let you switch off for a while.
Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Carry the Movie
The biggest strength of The Wrong Girls is undoubtedly its two leads. Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat complement each other extremely well and give their characters enough personality to keep things interesting.
Stewart clearly seems to be having fun as Frankie, while Shawkat’s Molly provides a somewhat calmer counterpart. That contrast works well. The two genuinely feel like friends who have known each other for years, which gives their relationship a natural chemistry.
That is important because the story itself isn’t always strong enough to carry the movie on its own. Fortunately, Stewart and Shawkat are able to compensate for some of the weaker parts of the script.
The Humor in The Wrong Girls Doesn’t Always Work
Thankfully, The Wrong Girls isn’t overly silly when it comes to its humor. Naturally, there are plenty of moments that rely entirely on the absurdity of the situation, but the movie doesn’t try to force a huge joke into every single scene.
A lot of the humor instead relies on the dialogue, and that works well here. The conversations between Frankie and Molly provide some of the movie’s funniest moments, particularly because the two characters complement each other so nicely.
On the other hand, the story itself frequently becomes quite absurd. That certainly fits the genre, but it also means that some situations seem to exist mainly as an excuse to set up the next joke or bizarre event.
The Fun Starts to Wear Off After About an Hour
While The Wrong Girls feels energetic and chaotic during its first half, the movie starts to lose some of its charm after about an hour.
This is mainly because the story ultimately doesn’t have quite enough variety. The movie continues to rely on the same type of energy and humor for a long time, and eventually the novelty begins to wear off. What initially feels charming and enjoyably absurd gradually becomes a little more tiring.
The various strange plot developments don’t all have the same impact either. The movie remains busy right until the end, but at times that makes it feel more hectic than genuinely exciting or funny.
A Fun In-Between Movie
Perhaps that is ultimately the best way to describe The Wrong Girls: an enjoyable in-between movie.
It isn’t a film that will stay on your mind for weeks, nor is it a stoner comedy that deserves an immediate place alongside the genre’s classics. The story simply lacks some of the sharpness and variety needed for that.
But thanks to Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat, their excellent chemistry, and a number of entertaining exchanges, The Wrong Girls manages to hold its own. The movie also has enough charm to make its weaker moments relatively easy to forgive.
The Wrong Girls Review – Conclusion
The Wrong Girls is a fairly straightforward stoner comedy that relies heavily on the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat. The story is absurd and becomes somewhat repetitive after about an hour, but the movie still manages to provide some solid entertainment.
Don’t expect a new genre classic. Instead, expect a light movie that you can put on without having to think too much. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
The Wrong Girls is perfectly decent entertainment, but ultimately it’s the kind of movie you watch, enjoy for what it is, and probably forget about fairly quickly afterward.
Rating: 5/10
