Olivia Wilde makes her highly anticipated directorial debut in Booksmart, an unfiltered comedy about high school best friends and the bonds we create that last a lifetime. We chat to Wilde and the film's stars, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, about the coming-of-age story.

You could say Olivia Wilde's latest film is a love letter to the younger generation. Or, as the actress turned director sees it, it's something she made to honour them.

The 35-year-old, who starred in long-running medical TV series House alongside Hugh Laurie, has made her directorial debut with Booksmart, an "unfiltered comedy about two high school best friends".

The coming-of-age film stars teen powerhouses Kaitlyn Dever (Amy) and Beanie Feldstein (Molly), of Ladybird fame, who decide to embark on a night of letting their hair down before they graduate. Critics have praised the film for not having as its focal point the fact that the character Amy is gay.

"I made the film to honour this young generation that I think is so evolved," says Wilde emphatically.

"(They are) so much more fluid and truly political in a personalised sense, they understand the significance of their actions and their voice, and I wanted to make a film that honoured how incredible this generation is.

"And I feel like we've put them in such a difficult place in terms of the environment, in terms of political division, and I feel them standing up and saying, 'Thank you we'll take it from here, we're going to live differently, we're going to shift this paradigm, give us control'."

It's a scenario she says makes her feel "excited, optimistic".

But there's also another layer here for her.

She explains: "It's also aspirational in its telling of this generation so that for young people who still live in really oppressive environments or within families who don't understand them, they can watch the film and say, 'I'm not alone and I'm going to hang on, because my generation actually will love and accept and support me'."

Dever, 22, says the project and role was a dream.

"I fell in love with it - it was before Olivia was attached to direct it," she explains.

"I fell in love with the idea of getting to lead a film and a film that's about a strong female friendship.

"These girls are so smart in their own ways and so funny and so many other things and I think to play a girl like Amy was just a dream come true for me, immediately."

On-screen she and her American co-star Feldstein, 25, share a dynamic that's amplified by the script handiwork of writer Katie Silberman and her team of female writers.

As such, the brand of humour the film exudes was a plus point for Feldstein.

She says: "I was just so taken by the humour between two girls that's created by their intellect, and created by their love for each other.

"I'm not a fan of a humour that brings people down or is cutting - it's funny, but it's not something that I necessarily feel like is a part of my comedic style.

"I loved that their banter and their obsession with each other, and they're obsessively complimenting each other, that's where the humour comes from."

She reflects on the script, which was originally written in 2009.

"It's always kind of wanted to be made, but we always say society had to catch up to the script which is kind of a bummer, but in some ways it was meant to be told now and with this team," she muses.

For Wilde, stepping behind the lens after her own big screen appearances in films like 2010's Tron: Legacy and Ron Howard's 2013 Formula One epic, Rush, meant she looked for a project that harked back to what had inspired her own love of film.

The New York City-born star says: "I wanted to direct my first film as one that really pays homage to the films that made me want to be in the business. I grew up on movies like Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, Clueless, these are movies that made me want to make movies.

"They also made me excited to be young, they made me feel that autonomy of being young.

"The fact that you aren't alone, and seeing your experiences at a very fraught time in your life reflected on screen is something that is actually really significant, it's important.

"These movies are fun entertainment, but they also allow you to feel seen, so I wanted to make one that honoured the effect that films had on me when I became a film lover."

The rest of the film's acting ensemble isn't short of impressive names including Jason Sudeikis, Friends' Lisa Kudrow and the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher, actress Billie Lourd.

Talking about her character Gigi, Lourd recalls drawing on a moment from a real life experience.

The 26-year-old, whose recent roles include American Horror Story and Star Wars, said: "During my Bat Mitzvah, I was at the top of a staircase lined with lit candles. As I made my grand entrance, my skirt caught on fire. Everyone looked at me in a state of panic. Without even thinking, I tore off my skirt, stomped out the flames, and screamed, 'F*** yeah!' And that's my inspiration for Gigi."

It's just one of the memorable moments from the film's impressive repertoire of comedic jaunts. Laughs aside, Wilde hopes Booksmart will become the go to 'rewatch' for younger generations.

She says: "When I was researching the film I spoke to young people, particularly young women, and I said 'What's the movie you watch and rewatch with your friends?' and a lot of them said Bridesmaids.

"I said, 'I too love Bridesmaids, it's incredible, it's perfect - but it is about women at a slightly older stage of life. What's the movie for you and your friends that feels like that authentic friendship that feels real?'

"And there wasn't one and so I hope this is a rewatch film for people to feel like a sense of a ownership, that this is their movie and they're going to rewatch it and see different things in it every time."

Booksmart is currently showing in cinemas.