Almost Popular Review: High School Fame in the Age of TikTok

Coming-of-age comedies never get old, and honestly, we’ll happily watch every single one we can get our hands on. Today, August 28th, Almost Popular lands in U.S. theaters, promising an entertaining ride through the messy, funny, and sometimes cruel world of high school. The film is not exactly a game-changer for the genre, but it’s definitely a solid, charming entry that had us laughing, cringing, and maybe reminiscing about our own teenage years.

Directed by Nayip Anthony Garcia and starring Ruby Rose Turner, Reid Miller, and Isabella Ferreira, Almost Popular paints a familiar picture of the high school popularity game—updated for an era where followers matter more than locker hangouts. Gone are the days when coolness came from who had the best clothes, the slickest comebacks, the hottest date to promo, or who sat at your lunch table; now, clout is measured in likes, live broadcasts, and TikTok trends. Gossip spreads faster than ever, not through a Burn Book (shout-out to Mean Girls) but through livestreams, campus news broadcasts, and viral clips, and for kids at Clovis Central High, the stakes feel both timeless and brand new.

At the center of it all are Susie Quinn (Turner) and Bobbie Roberts (Miller), childhood besties who’ve always been inseparable. They’re awkward, loyal, and constantly cheering each other on, but also tired of being invisible. Like so many teens before them, they dream of becoming popular; if not truly at the top, then at least “almost” popular. When junior year begins, they decide this is the time to finally be seen. Their solution? Social media fame. It’s classic 2025 logic, but building an audience isn’t as easy as it looks, and Susie’s desperation pushes her into the ultimate mistake: buying followers.

For a hot second, it works. Overnight, she and Bobbie go from nobodies to the newest stars of Clovis Central. They’re suddenly getting invited to parties, walking the halls with folks taking selfies with them, and even scoring an interview with the school’s news broadcast. But as we all know, nothing fake stays hidden forever, and their moment in the spotlight is short-lived. Vicki Reinhart (Ellodee Carpenter), the school’s reigning queen bee and leader of the Pop Girls, exposes them on-air for faking their numbers, and their brief taste of popularity evaporates instantly. Their social status plummets to rock bottom. 

Humiliated but determined, Susie and Bobbie turn to an unexpected ally: Renee (Isabella Ferreira), one of the Pop Girls who has her own history with Vicki. At first reluctant, Renee eventually agrees to coach them on how to navigate the popularity game. Cue a series of montages where Susie and Bobbie adopt new looks, new attitudes, and even new names (“Q” and “Robert”), as they prepare to make a proper entrance into Clovis High’s social world. Of course, nothing goes according to plan. Parties spiral into disasters, hallways become battle zones, and Susie’s obsession with fame starts to put real cracks in her lifelong friendship with Bobbie.

Everything builds toward Pink Prom, where the tension between the Pop Girls and the newly-formed “Nice Girls Not” comes to a head. Along the way, there are outings, betrayals, reconciliations, and moments of pure campy joy—including Bobbie getting to step into his own light, heels and all. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that by the time the credits roll, Susie, Bobbie, and Renee have all learned the difference between being seen and being truly known.

What’s clever about Almost Popular is that it balances the hyper-online realities of Gen Z with a nostalgic undercurrent for older audiences. Sure, we might have to Google half the slang, but the universal themes remain the same: friendship, self-discovery, and the eternal struggle to stay true to yourself. Siri practically becomes a supporting character in the film, which felt both hilarious and ironic, reminding us how much tech has infiltrated teenage life. And yet, no matter the generation, kids still believe high school is supposed to be the best years of their lives, until they realize the truth is more complicated. 

At the end of the day, Almost Popular doesn’t reinvent the coming-of-age wheel. But it does give us a fresh perspective on how technology has reshaped the high school experience today, and the dangers of chasing attention in a world where clout disappears as fast as it arrives. It’s funny, heartfelt, and entertaining enough to keep us watching. And we’ll just say this: if Bobbie really does grow up to be the politician he dreams of becoming, he’ll be one we’d proudly vote for.

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Almost Popular is available in theaters in the U.S.  Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!

Featured Image: Image Courtesy of Patriot Pictures.