The Wrong Girls Review: An Unfunny Foray Into A Genre That Has Overstayed Its Welcome

Despite Oscar-nominated actor Kristen Stewart leading this psychedelic comedy, the jokes fall so flat that viewers may not even crack a smile.

Kristen Stewart's newest project, The Wrong Girls, is set to hit theaters on August 14, but sadly, this drug-fueled comedy proves that some movies just aren't built for the big screen. The trailer for The Wrong Girls was released early last month, and already there were signs that this latest addition to the stoner comedy genre wasn't exactly going to be breaking the mold. The story sees Stewart's Frankie and Alia Shawkat's Molly develop telepathic powers after getting their hands on and readily ingesting a mysterious new drug.

As might be expected, this choice leads them down a path of innumerable dangers and obstacles as the duo becomes increasingly wrapped up in a heated scuffle between opposing forces (one of which is the United States government) all trying to get their hands on this apparently world-altering substance. Intermixed with that overarching plot are friendship tensions between Molly and Frankie, Frankie's ongoing self-doubt and insecurity as a result of dropping out of Stanford, and various jokes about drugs and sex. (Seriously: At one point, Frankie needs to open a briefcase and tries the code 420. The top-secret number is actually 069).

Yet, for all The Wrong Girls' efforts to get a laugh out of audiences, it is often painfully unfunny. In fact, if anything, it's a surprise that this movie is slated for a theatrical release when it feels made for at-home streaming, perhaps playing in the background while viewers aimlessly scroll on their phones. What's truly a shame is that this marks Dylan Meyer's feature film directorial debut, and her first time working with her wife, Stewart. Their real-life chemistry apparently didn't translate into a compelling script or on-set magic.

The Wrong Girls Assumes That Smoking Pot Alone Is Funny, And Proves That It's Not

Considering that Minions & Monsters got multiple genuine laughs out of me, it's certainly saying something that at no point during The Wrong Girls did I even crack a smile. In part, that is because many aspects of the story, but particularly the jokes, felt like they could have been pulled from myriad other stoner movies, many of which are considerably older than this one. It didn't help that peppered into this story were multiple lines that seemed so absurd they were almost certainly parody, although they were seemingly delivered with absolute sincerity. Among the worst offenders were Stewart's uses of "abso-fruitly" and "hater-ade." There's also an unsavory Epstein joke thrown in for good measure.

Perhaps what's most wrong about The Wrong Girls is the idea that smoking pot is, in and of itself, funny, which the movie inadvertently goes to great lengths to prove is not the case. There are expected sequences of Molly and Frankie throwing up, dancing in the street, and hallucinating at various points, which is the on-screen equivalent of the unpleasant real-life experience of being the only sober person in a room full of people who aren't. Unless the movie is assuming that audiences will be flocking to theaters in such a state, which doesn't seem advisable, it's unclear which jokes were expected to land and why.

While part of the issue is almost certainly that the stoner comedy genre is a bit tired at this point, especially when a project isn't making the effort to add to what's been done many times before, The Wrong Girls has a cast that, in theory, should have elevated the story. In addition to Stewart in a co-leading role, the movie stars Kate McKinnon, Seth Rogen​​​​​​​, and Kumail Nanjiani, all of whom are very talented actors and comedians. That only makes it all the more confusing and disappointing that The Wrong Girls failed to bring anything truly fresh (or funny) to a film that has apparently been in the works for more than a decade.

Granted, The Wrong Girls isn't so egregious that it falls into the category of movies never to watch. For fans of Stewart and the other cast members, or for those who enjoy stoner comedy classics (or even more recent additions to the genre, such as Pizza Movie), it's probably worth checking out at home. It likely doesn't warrant a trip (pun intended) to the theater, though, unless viewers are clamoring to see Kristen Stewart telepathically communicate with a cat.

The Wrong Girls releases in theaters on Friday, August 14.

Release Date August 14, 2026

Runtime 100 Minutes

Director Dylan Meyer

Writers Dylan Meyer

Producers Kristen Stewart, Seth Rogen, Alex McAtee, Allison Rose Carter, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Jon Read, Maggie Mclean, Dylan Meyer

Cast

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