“The Wrong Girls” follows two bong-ripping best friends living paycheck to paycheck, who get caught in a case of mistaken identity that throws their lives into chaos.
The beginning of “The Wrong Girls” is a mess. Well, actually… the entire movie is, but at least that’s by design. Writer-director Dylan Meyer spends much of the opening having the actors spew out brand placements: “You should get pizza from Costco,” “Remember that time during Shark Week” or “I want Del Taco.” Not to mention Stanford University being woven into the fabric of the story. With so much emphasis being placed on these advertisements, it’s difficult to take it seriously.
Once the film moves into its actual narrative, this levity remains. As a stoner comedy, viewers seeking out “The Wrong Girls” will likely know this going in. This doesn’t excuse the complete lack of reality each step of the way. Every chance that Meyer gets, she takes shortcuts in the script to achieve the end result. This includes almost all the beats, from the comedy to the sci-fi to the action to the drama.
Comedically, the film relies solely on its “stoner” status. At every turn, Frankie and Molly are rolling up their joints, whether they’re at home, work, parties or government buildings. Because of this, they are in a “dazed and confused” mental state throughout the entirety of the 99-minute runtime. While many may grow annoyed with this approach, their personalities play right into the premise. This makes it more believable when, inevitably, they try that “experimental drug.”
The psychedelic aspects of the story are heightened through Todd Banhazl’s cinematography and the sound design. As the characters experience heightened reality, so does the audience. This comes through POV-styled camerawork and distorted sound design that clearly distinguishes the source of dialogue. While the technical aspects work, the screenplay doesn’t play enough into this. There are talking cats, communicating through thoughts and telekinesis, but the execution is always “half-baked.”
When “The Wrong Girls” attempts to get real, the absurdist style drowns it out. It contains the same tropes as almost every other buddy comedy — think “Booksmart” and “One of Them Days.” It’s a quirky central duo, there are “boy problems” and they inevitably have a major blowout before rekindling. That’s no different here, only each of these aspects are covered within seconds rather than minutes. This leaves their friendship also feeling “half-baked” while the characters themselves focus more on being baked.
Nonetheless, Kristen Stewart (Frankie) and Alia Shawkat (Molly) are fun leads. They play into the “stoner” personas well, constantly delivering unhinged monologues while stumbling on their words. Stewart is the more vocal and outward friend, while Shawkat tends to go along with her hijinks. Their performances keep the characters likable despite them constantly making the wrong decisions.
One of the film’s best storylines comes from Frankie and Molly hearing their cats’ thoughts, whose feelings and arguments often mirror their own. Kumail Nanjiani (GG) and Seth Rogen (Dio) nail the voice work. Also appearing are LaKeith Stanfield (Not Metal Head Dave), Cate Blanchett (Deep Sea Expert), Kate McKinnon (Dr. Olsen), Tony Hale (Martin Flynn) and Chris Estrada (Jose).
Amid all the shenanigans, it’s clear that “The Wrong Girls” is too long. As the film moves from scene to scene, the plot doesn’t really advance. Even when reaching the conclusion, there’s no momentum to distinguish that the climax is near. It just keeps going.
“The Wrong Girls” is harmless entertainment that doesn’t stretch beyond its means. There are plenty of doobies and plenty of trips — not much else.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
