Everyone remembers high school differently. For some, high school was an era of overachievement, leading to a false sense of how competitive life can become outside the hallowed halls of judgment, ridicule, and misguided lust. For others, high school is a specter of the past better left behind after years of jeers, rumors, and misinformation about how the world functions. For The Bear‘s Molly Gordon (Theater Camp, Booksmart, You People), high school is the setting of her new comedy project with A24 called Peaked.
As the film’s title suggests, Peaked focuses on the glory days of prom planning and experimentation and that fleeting time when we feel invisible. According to the official logline, the film follows “the two girls who traumatized you in high school as they try to relive their glory days at their 10-year reunion.” You remember them. I certainly do.
In addition to her starring role, Molly Gordon is co-writing Peaked with her friend Allie Levitan, who writes for Saturday Night Live. Gordon also directs the project and produces alongside A24, David Hinojosa, and Zach Nutman of 2AM. Levitan executive produces, with Topic Studios co-financing. Previously, Gordon directed and co-wrote the 2023 comedy Theater Camp, starring Gordon, Ben Platt, and Noah Galvin. Theater Camp tells the story of an eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York who must band together with the beloved founder’s bro-y son to keep the camp afloat. Theater Camp won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble before getting acquired by Searchlight for $8 million. Theater Camp also appears on the National Board of Review’s Top Ten Independent Films of 2023 list, counting Gordon as a blossoming talent to watch.
Did you go to your 10-year high school reunion? I went to mine, but I lasted only two hours before I left to attend a Blonde Redhead concert. Don’t worry. I still paid the fee to help make the party happen, but I wasn’t interested in sticking around. Are you a fan of Molly Gordon’s performance on FX‘s The Bear? What high school stereotype were you? I sat at the “Freak” table. Chain wallets and JNCO jeans forever! Let us know if you want to learn more about Peaked in the comments below.
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