Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 12

The Wrong Girls Lands in Theaters at 1 Hour 40 Minutes, Pairing Telepathy With Stoner Chaos

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 12

The Wrong Girls Lands in Theaters at 1 Hour 40 Minutes, Pairing Telepathy With Stoner Chaos

Q: Why do Danish criminals want to weaponize a drug that forces two codependent Los Angeles roommates to share a single mind?

They want it because, within the movie’s absurd caper logic, the drug appears to be a powerful mind-linking substance that could be turned into a tool of control or tactical advantage. In “The Wrong Girls,” Frankie and Molly take what they think is a party drug and discover it lets them communicate telepathically, effectively sharing thoughts and perceptions. That makes it more than a hallucinogen in plot terms: it is a rare experimental compound with possible weapon value. The Danish criminals are chasing it because they believe it can be exploited, not just consumed. The film does not present this as hard science or a carefully explained espionage scheme. Reviews describe the story as deliberately silly, hazy and low-stakes, with the criminal pursuit functioning mainly as a comic engine that throws the two roommates into chaos. In that sense, “weaponize” is less a realistic pharmacological goal than a heightened genre device: the villains want a substance that can link minds, and the movie uses that premise to escalate the comedy. So the practical answer is that the criminals see the drug as a potentially useful mind-control or communication technology, while the larger storytelling answer is that the chase gives Meyer’s friendship comedy its offbeat stakes.

Q: Does the chaotic psychedelic trip in 'The Wrong Girls' ultimately save Frankie and Molly's enmeshed friendship, or completely destroy it?

It ultimately pushes Frankie and Molly toward saving the friendship, but in a changed, less enmeshed form rather than restoring their old dynamic. Reviews consistently describe “The Wrong Girls” as a comedy about friendship, dependency and bad decisions, with the psychic drug trip forcing the two roommates to confront how fused their lives have become. Molly is already considering moving in with Josh, and Frankie’s jealousy and insecurity make clear that their bond is both a comfort and an obstacle. The telepathic link literalizes that emotional overconnection. Critics note that the film treats their relationship as “soul-deep” and capable of weathering chaos, even as outside characters view it as unhealthy codependence. The story’s mayhem — the experimental drug, the criminals, the scientist, the chase across Los Angeles — functions less as a breakup mechanism than as a stress test. By the end, the film is generally framed as surprisingly sweet, with Stewart and Shawkat’s chemistry carrying a story about two women who really do need each other, even if they also need to grow up. So the trip does not completely destroy them. It exposes the unhealthy parts of their closeness, threatens to pull them apart, and forces some overdue change. But the movie’s tone and the critical descriptions suggest it lands on endurance and affection: their friendship survives, though it can’t stay exactly as codependent as it was before.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 12

Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat play codependent Los Angeles roommates whose friendship turns psychic after they take a lab-engineered hallucinogen in Dylan Meyer’s 1-hour-40-minute comedy.
That telepathic twist sends Frankie and Molly fleeing Danish thugs trying to weaponize the drug, pushing the film from slacker hangout comedy into a goofy crime caper.
The review calls the R-rated movie a silly but often funny diversion, singling out Kate McKinnon’s mad scientist while noting dopier bits such as mind-melding cats voiced by Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani.
In theaters now, the film is framed as blithely creative and infectious in spirit, even when its hazy, puerile premise veers into excess.