An ambitious high school senior devises a plan to eliminate her top three competitors in order to secure a Harvard recommendation. A film by Oran Zegman, starring Angourie Rice, Gaten Matarazzo, Armani Jackson, Amy Keum, Ben Jackson Walker, Kerry Butler, Michael P. Northey, Kelcey Mawema, Avery Konrad, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Seventeen-year-old Honor Rose (Angourie Rice) is a high school senior from a middle-class family. She has meticulously planned out her academic path, with one ultimate goal in mind: getting into Harvard University. As America’s top-ranked university with a mere 4.6% acceptance rate, it represents her ticket out – and she’s determined to never look back at her hometown once she leaves.

However, her carefully laid plans hit a snag when her guidance counselor, Calvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), tells her that she’s one of four students he’s considering for a coveted recommendation letter to Harvard – and he’ll only be writing one.

In front of her teacher, Honor maintains her carefully crafted facade of indifference about her competition – the same perfect image she’s maintained throughout her four years of high school. She already knows exactly who her three rivals are. And behind her composed exterior, she begins plotting ways to sabotage them. Her plan is to eliminate each competitor so discreetly that no one will ever suspect her involvement.

Honor kicks off her scheme by getting close to Michael (Gaten Matarazzo), one of the top students in their class. Playing the part of a struggling student, she manipulates him into tutoring her at her house. She believes her feminine charms will distract him so much that his grades will eventually suffer.

Next, Honor joins the drama club where her second rival, Kennedy (Amy Keum), is already a member. Learning that Kennedy has written a play about Mary I of England (“Bloody Mary”), Honor cunningly convinces Felson (Candice Hunter) to select Kennedy’s script for production. She knows full well that Kennedy will pour everything into this play – exactly what Honor is counting on to derail her rival’s academic focus.

Her final rival is Travis (Armani Jackson), the lacrosse team captain who seems to have it all – looks, athletic prowess, a beautiful girlfriend, and stellar grades. However, after carefully observing his behavior, Honor becomes convinced he’s secretly gay. She manipulates the situation by suggesting to Gary (Ben Jackson Walker), the drama club president, that they should cast Travis in the lead role. She suggests that Travis’s popularity with girls would attract new audiences to the theater program.

Directed by Israeli filmmaker Oran Zegman form a screenplay written by David A. Goodman, HONOR SOCIETY is a clever coming-of-age film that amazingly balances comedy with its narrative. The film channels the spirit of classic teen films like “CLUELESS” (1995) and “MEAN GIRLS” (2004), while employing fourth-wall-breaking narration techniques.

Breaking the fourth wall is a narrative technique used in theater, film, television, and literature where characters acknowledge the audience or the fact that they are part of a fictional work. This concept originates from the traditional stage setup, where three walls create a physical space for the performance, while the “fourth wall” is an imaginary barrier separating the audience from the action on stage. When this wall is “broken,” it disrupts the audience’s suspension of disbelief, allowing characters to interact directly with viewers or comment on their own fictional existence. The term “fourth wall” was popularized in the 18th century, notably by philosopher Denis Diderot, who suggested that actors should behave as if an invisible wall separated them from the audience. In this context, breaking the fourth wall involves characters stepping outside their narrative confines to address the audience directly, often creating a more intimate or humorous connection.

I’ve been a fan of Angourie Rice since her supporting role in “SPIDER-MAN,” and here she shines opposite Gaten Matarazzo, with the two sharing fantastic on-screen chemistry. Christopher Mintz-Plasse steals several scenes with his slightly unhinged, hilarious performance.

The script is well-crafted with layered characters that really draw you in – you can’t help but root for them as the story unfolds. The film throws in an unexpected twist near the end before closing with a musical number!

It’s one of those feel-good movies that leaves you smiling, and the entertainment continues right through the end credits with some absolutely adorable bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage.

HONOR SOCIETY was released on Paramount+ on 29 July 2022.