In the vibrant city of Jackson, MS, two geeky best friends, Malik Warren (Miles Brown) and Khalil Douglas (Asante Blackk), struggle to fit in at the prestigious Murrah High School. Malik and Khalil are inseparable but constantly ridiculed by senior basketball stars Isaiah (Caleel Harris) and Marlon (Myles Truitt), who torment them over their unrequited crushes on stylish cheerleaders Dana (Skai Jackson) and Simone (Shahadi Wright Joseph). Tired of being humiliated and overlooked, Malik persuades Khalil that they need to take bold action to transform their lives and win the attention they crave.
One weekend, while Khalil’s parents are out of town, Malik draws inspiration from a late-night viewing of Wierd Science. He convinces Khalil to help him create the “perfect woman” using Khalil’s high-tech gaming computer. Through a mix of coding, creativity, and hacking into a nearby government data hub for extra power, their experiment takes a wild turn. A freak electrical surge brings Lyric (Amandla Stenberg) to life—a confident, intelligent, and reality-bending woman who is everything Malik and Khalil dreamed of.
Lyric immediately takes charge of their lives, conjuring up a tricked-out Tesla and taking the boys to a local spoken-word café in Jackson’s Fondren Arts District. There, she encourages them to step out of their comfort zones and embrace their individuality. Despite the confidence boost, their troubles persist. After a particularly humiliating run-in at school where Isaiah and Marlon dump milkshakes on them, Lyric hatches a plan: she announces a massive party at Khalil’s house, much to his horror. She assures them it’s the perfect way to elevate their status.
The night of the party, Khalil’s typically quiet house becomes the hottest spot in Jackson. The school’s elite—including Dana and Simone—show up, but Malik and Khalil struggle to shine amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Khalil’s intimidating older brother, Corey (Algee Smith), returns home unexpectedly, threatening to expose their antics to their parents unless Khalil pays him off. Things go further awry when Isaiah and Marlon convince Malik and Khalil to recreate their experiment. They forget to connect the doll this time, accidentally summoning a real military missile that crashes into the living room.
To complicate matters, Khalil’s grandparents drop by unexpectedly and confront Lyric about the raucous party. Undeterred, she freezes them mid-scolding and hides them in the pantry. Realizing that Malik and Khalil still need a push to build true confidence, Lyric invites a group of rogue poets called the Deep South Renegades, led by the enigmatic Lord General (Trevante Rhodes), to crash the party. Armed with dramatic performances and razor-sharp wordplay, the Renegades take over, terrifying the guests and holding Dana and Simone hostage as part of their “poetic initiation.”
Faced with their biggest challenge yet, Malik and Khalil must rise to the occasion. Drawing on Lyric’s teachings and their own courage, the boys step up, confronting the Renegades in an intense poetry slam that leaves the crowd cheering. Dana and Simone are impressed by their bravery, and the boys finally earn their admiration.
The next morning, Corey returns to find the house in complete disarray, including his room inexplicably transformed into a swamp. After Lyric temporarily turns him into a talking toad for his bullying, Corey finally apologizes to Khalil. With her mission complete, Lyric restores the house to its original state, unfreezes Khalil’s grandparents, and tearfully bids the boys farewell. Malik and Khalil, now more confident and self-assured, ask Dana and Simone out on a date, which the girls eagerly accept.
Just when Malik and Khalil think life is back to normal, Lyric reappears as the new gym teacher at Murrah High School. She winks at them during roll call, leaving them speechless as the screen fades to black.
