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.
LaKeith Stanfield and Kate McKinnon in The Wrong Girls. Neon
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!
