Chewing gum that makes you instantly popular at school. That's probably what many people dream of. But for Erwin, it's not just a dream. The 11-year-old is highly intelligent, very interested in chemistry and physics, and, together with her new friend Winston, is developing exactly such a chewing gum for a science fair. Anyone who chews the gum is almost magically attracted to others by its unique smell. The miracle cure is then tested on two classmates who are otherwise ignored by everyone and could really use a boost in popularity – with resounding success. Suddenly, even the coolest cliques in school are adoring Erwin's test subjects. They dress the same and pursue the same hobbies. Should the withdrawn Erwin perhaps try the gum herself? After all, she has no friends except Winston – and even he is initially just a “research partner” to her. On top of that, Erwin's aunt is annoying because she doesn't want her spending all day alone in her room doing research. And Erwin's big sister is embarrassed by everything she does anyway. The chewing gum could perhaps solve all these problems. But Erwin soon discovers that the miracle cure has a few side effects and that popularity at school isn't everything in life. Anyone familiar with films like Diary of a Wimpy Kid will already have a rough idea of what to expect from Popular Theory. From nerds and jocks to a gang of girls, director Ari Scher's film has it all. However, the popularity gum mixes these groups up in an entertaining way. At first, none of the cool students are interested in superheroes, but soon everyone is running around wearing capes. The film is never boring, unlike the gum itself. Some of the jokes are really creative and you have to watch twice to understand them all. At the same time, you also learn more about how difficult school can be for gifted kids like Erwin. Being super smart or inventing a popular chewing gum isn't enough to make friends – especially the right ones. The formula for friendship is a little more complicated than that.