The Wrong Girls divides critics: Stewart & Shawkat shine, but Meyer's debut stumbles
Dylan Meyer's directorial debut lands uneasily between heartfelt and forgettable in early reviews of the Neon-backed stoner comedy.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 12 items across 3 sources · 7h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
What to know
- Dylan Meyer's directorial debut received split reviews: critics unanimously praise Stewart and Shawkat's performances, but sharply disagree on whether the film's comedy lands.
- The core dispute centers on whether the film's absurdist nonsense approach succeeds as stoner comedy or whether it relies on predictable, obvious jokes that fall flat.
- Neon is banking on the film to revive the theatrical stoner comedy—a genre that has largely migrated to streaming platforms like Hulu.
How it unfolded
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Multiple outlets publish initial reviews of director Dylan Meyer's debut stoner comedy starring Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat. The film, distributed by Neon, attempts a theatrical revival of the stoner comedy genre and features the leads as best friends who acquire psychic powers after obtaining experimental drugs.
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Owen Myers writes that while The Wrong Girls has studied stoner comedy touchstones like Half Baked and Friday, the film lacks laughs and memorable setups, relying on obvious jokes and playing for meme-able moments rather than genuine comedy.
“The Wrong Girls has far too few laughs and a surprising lack of memorable set-ups. You can spot its jokes a mile off.”
Owen Myers · Press ↗ -
William Bibbiani argues that The Wrong Girls succeeds precisely because it embraces 100% nonsense, with Stewart and Shawkat delivering slaying performances in nearly every scene. He suggests the film will reward viewers watching under optimal conditions.
“The Wrong Girls is 100% nonsense and that's what makes it perfect. Well, perfect for a stoner comedy.”
William Bibbiani · Press ↗ -
IndieWire, Deadline, and Hollywood Reporter publish positive reviews framing Stewart and Shawkat as saving the film, while AV Club describes it as charming but confused, and Mashable questions what the premise contributes beyond concept.
What people are saying verbatim
“The Wrong Girls has far too few laughs and a surprising lack of memorable set-ups. You can spot its jokes a mile off.”
Owen Myers, The Guardian critic · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 11
“The Wrong Girls is 100% nonsense and that's what makes it perfect. Well, perfect for a stoner comedy.”
William Bibbiani, TheWrap critic · TheWrap ↗ · Aug 11
“Stewart seems particularly liberated by this chance to go full clown-mode — almost everything she says or does is amusing, adorable or slightly annoying but in an adorably amusing way.”
William Bibbiani, TheWrap critic · TheWrap ↗ · Aug 11
“At a certain point I wondered just how high you would have to be to appreciate Meyer's humor, which leans heavily on scenes where Mollie and Frankie get the munchies, or are too stoned to parallel-park.”
Owen Myers, The Guardian critic · The Guardian ↗ · Aug 11
“Dylan Meyer's 'The Wrong Girls' is probably a new stoner classic. I haven't watched it while high yet but it will one day be performance-tested under optimal conditions.”
William Bibbiani, TheWrap critic · TheWrap ↗ · Aug 11
The conversation positions from the crowd, verbatim
Critics are divided on whether The Wrong Girls succeeds as comedy, though all agree the leads deliver strong performances. One camp sees it as a return to form for stoner comedy; another finds the humor predictable and thin. The disagreement hinges on whether the film's commitment to absurdist nonsense is a feature or a bug.
The dispute Whether the film's commitment to absurdist nonsense as a stoner comedy is a successful stylistic choice or a cover for weak joke writing and predictable setups.
The film is a stoner comedy classic that embraces necessary absurdity and nonsense with talented lead performances.
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“The Wrong Girls is 100% nonsense and that's what makes it perfect. Well, perfect for a stoner comedy.”
William Bibbiani · TheWrap ↗ -
“Dylan Meyer's 'The Wrong Girls' is probably a new stoner classic…It's a profoundly ridiculous movie where anything can happen if it's funny.”
William Bibbiani · TheWrap ↗
The film relies on obvious, predictable jokes and lacks memorable setups despite studying the genre's classics.
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“The Wrong Girls has far too few laughs and a surprising lack of memorable set-ups. You can spot its jokes a mile off.”
Owen Myers · The Guardian ↗ -
“At a certain point I wondered just how high you would have to be to appreciate Meyer's humor, which leans heavily on scenes where Mollie and Frankie get the munchies, or are too stoned to parallel-park.”
Owen Myers · The Guardian ↗
The film is charming but somewhat confused in its execution, sitting between two tones.
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“Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat's wacky buddy movie The Wrong Girls is charming, but a bit more confused than blazed.”
Monica Castillo · AV Club ↗
Voices from the web unedited
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‘The Wrong Girls’ Review: Kristen Stewart & Alia Shawkat Are Co-Dependent Buds Who Can Read Minds (And Coughs) In Heartfelt Stoner Comedy https:// deadline.com/2026/08/the-wrong -girls-review-kristen-stewart-alia-shawkat-stoner-1237032208/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Film News @ film-news-Deadline
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‘The Wrong Girls’ Review: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Save the Stoner Movie https://www. indiewire.com/criticism/movies /the-wrong-girls-review-1235210080/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into IndieWire @ indiewire-IndieWire
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‘The Wrong Girls’ Review: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Light Up a Sweetly Stupid Stoner Comedy https://www. hollywoodreporter.com/movies/m ovie-reviews/the-wrong-girls-review-kristen-stewart-alia-shawkat-1236671066/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Movie Reviews @ movie-reviews-THR
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‘The Wrong Girls’ Review: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Are a Good Time in Dylan Meyer’s Shaggy Stoner Comedy https:// variety.com/2026/film/reviews/ the-wrong-girls-review-kristen-stewart-1236833555/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Film @ film-Variety