Three out of four stars
Who said only guys can be underachieving potheads? In the stoner comedy The Wrong Girls (in theaters August 14), bong-ripping besties Frankie (Kristen Stewart), a Stanford dropout turned delivery driver, and aspiring chef Molly (Alia Shawkat) are facing eviction and need money fast. An opportunity presents itself when a mystery man (LaKeith Stanfield) mistakenly hands Frankie a briefcase containing glowing vials of an experimental psychedelic. (He’s confused Frankie for her ex-boyfriend’s new lookalike girlfriend Frances, also played by Stewart.)
Even more desperate for cash after their apartment is robbed, Frankie and Molly decide to sell the drugs — but not before trying them. (Side effects include the telepathic ability to hear the thoughts of their judgmental cats, voiced by Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani.)
Frankie and Molly’s so-called solution naturally creates bigger problems, as armed henchmen are also determined to recover the briefcase on behalf of powerful figures who plan to deploy the drugs for mass mind-control. The madcap misadventures that follow endanger the codependent heroines’ friendship and their lives.
Written and directed by Stewart’s wife, Dylan Meyer, The Wrong Girls is a convoluted but gleefully kooky caper featuring a star-studded supporting cast that includes Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale, Geena Davis, and a scene-stealing cardboard cutout of Céline Dion.
Combining the buddy banter of Broad City with the action antics of Pineapple Express, this chaotic comedy finishes on a high. Pass the joint, Harold and Kumar!
