by Nick Ferro, Editor
One reason I really enjoy going to the movies is because there’s always the potential to find something fun that you weren’t expecting. There is an element of nostalgia to this notion because, as a kid, that’s pretty much how every movie felt. As an adult the “happy brain juice” is divvied out few and far between so getting that rush of endorphins at the ripe old age of forty-one is certainly welcome. That feeling has been hitting me much more in 2026 than I would have expected, especially with comedies. It started early in the year with movies likeNirvana the Band, The Show, The Movie and Good Luck, and Have Fun, Don’t Die. It then continued with I Love Boosters and it wasn’t restricted to theatrical releases either. Pizza Movie on Hulu was a hilarious streaming movie that I had a blast watching and that is the movie that I found myself making the most comparisons to while watching Kristen Stewart’s latest film: The Wrong Girls.
The Wrong Girls is a stoner comedy through and through. At first it reminded me a lot of last year’s surprising January hit One of Them Days in that it starred two prominent actresses who have to go on an epic quest to pay their rent. Despite the set up similarities this one takes a completely different route to get there. We meet our leads Frankie (Stewart) and Molly (Alia Shawkat) getting high and watching nature documentaries with their two cats Dio (Seth Rogan) and GG (Kumail Nanjiani) (it will make sense later). Frankie is a Stanford dropout and Molly is an aspiring chef with very little motivation. It is clear from the start that they are in a state of arrested development. I’m not sure why that particular colloquialism comes to mind… Maeby it’ll come to me later… Anyway! The girl’s lives are turned upside down when Frankie goes to a nightclub and meets Not-Metal-Head-Dave (LaKeith Standfield) who mistakes her for a woman named Frances (also Stewart, only in glasses), who some would call an upgraded version of Frankie. When this happens, he gives her a case full of mysterious glowing vials full of experimental psychedelic drugs and tells her to deliver them to her boss. From there this case of mistaken identity gets even crazier complete with European hitmen, talking cats, and blackmail involving a guy who used to put his dick in dips at parties…
What really stood out to me right away was the chemistry between Stewart and Shawkat. They play off each other like a pair of old friends who really do get stoned together every day and go on adventures. They have amazing comedic timing and the sheer stupidity that comes from being too blitzed, was so reminiscent of Dude Where’s My Car (but in a good way). There is already an endearingly charming quality to these ladies being stoned out of their minds but then add telepathy to the mix and the comedy is cranked up to another level. Add to that the fact that the movie has the other characters react to them sharing looks and not talking is even funnier. Then triple down and give their cats the ability to also speak to them telepathically (because they licked up some of the spilt drugs) and you have what I feel is the second-best stoner comedy this year after Pizza Movie.
Comedy and acting aside, this movie is also shot pretty dynamically and with what felt like a practiced eye. Writer/Director Dylan Meyer has not made many movies, and I wasn’t familiar with the ones she has, but I would have guessed she was doing this for a long time! Not only does she have a very particular eye, but she also has an amazingly quirky sense of humor that comes through in her directing as well as her writing. The decisions throughout of when to cut from Frankie and Molly’s perspective to other characters was perfect and I have to give her credit for the “marionet scene” towards the end that was a standout for me.
I have really nothing bad to say about The Wrong Girls, outside of your comedic mileage may vary. This brand of comedy is not for everyone so if movies like Harold and Kumar or Half Baked are not your cup of tea, then maybe skip this one. But you never know, maybe this will be the movie that reminds you of that feeling of nostalgia when every movie you saw was good and maybe, just maybe… MAEBY! That’s where the Arrested Development comment came from! Funny how memory works, what was I talking about?
Rating: High Side of Liked It
The Wrong Girls is currently available in theaters.
You can read more from Nick Ferro, and follow him on Letterboxd