What happens when you spend years doing everything “right” — only to discover you might have missed something along the way?

In this episode of The Still Growing Up Film Club, Cece Fanning heads back to high school with Booksmart, following best friends Molly and Amy as they attempt to squeeze four years of missed parties, bad decisions and teenage chaos into one unforgettable night before graduation.

As their carefully constructed plans spectacularly unravel, Cece explores what the film can teach us about perfectionism, achievement, friendship and the danger of assuming we already understand the people around us. She also looks at the pressure to be known for one particular thing — whether that's being smart, successful or neurodivergent — and what happens when other people see a very different version of us from the person we know ourselves to be.

Along the way, there are crushes, awkward encounters, unexpected friendships, plans going wildly off-script and some painful lessons about listening to the people we love. Molly and Amy may begin the night determined to prove that they can have it all, but they discover something more important: growing up sometimes means admitting you were wrong, apologising when you've hurt someone and allowing yourself to enjoy the present instead of constantly preparing for what's next.

Because working hard matters. But so do friendship, fun, mistakes and all the parts of life that can't be added to a résumé.

Follow Cece:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenotoriouscece

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenotoriouscece

✍️ Blog: https://cecewhatimean.com/

🛍️ Store: https://stillgrowinguppodcast.dashery.com/

Produced for the Autistic Culture Podcast Network.

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