Easy A (B or 3/4 stars)
After a lie about losing her virginity gets out, an ordinary, clean-cut high school girl finds that her life parallels Hester Prynne's in The Scarlett Letter in 'Easy A' (directed by Will Gluck). Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone, The House Bunny, Zombieland) is said high schooler; beautiful, whip-smart, but tired of being a nobody on campus. That all changes, however, when she tells said innocent white lie to her BFF, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka). Done with being thought of as boring and ... um, virginal ... she tells Rhiannon that she had a one-night stand with a college guy. Fortunately (or un) for Olive, this lie/confession is overheard by the school's religious freak, Marianne (Amanda Bynes), who also loves to spread juicy gossip. It takes no time for the news of Olive's promiscuity, fueled by paper notes, texts, facebook, & word-of-mouth, to make it through the school's hallways.
After that, when she helps a gay friend (Dan Byrd) establish his straightness (so as not to be assumed gay) via a fake sex act (that everyone can hear, but not see), the snowball effect takes over for Olive. Reputation overrides what's really going on. More & more students talk about Olive. They think she's a slut. Boys are paying her (mostly in gift cards) to 'say' that they had sex with her; all so everyone can "up" their own reputations & make names for themselves. Olive enjoys this notoriety for a while, but soon learns that the negatives associated with feigned-popularity outweigh whatever positives she gets out of it. This includes toying with her favorite teacher's (Thomas Haden Church) marriage (to Lisa Kudrow), the effect her reputation has on her education, her relationship with her ultra-cool parents (Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson), & hampering chances to be with a guy she genuinely likes, Todd (Penn Badgely), & he who genuinely likes her.
I had a blast watching 'Easy A'. The last 20-25 min. or so run out of steam; which is a shame, because I was SO enjoying myself, & relishing how excellent the movie was. I mean, I'd hardly call this romantic comedy a masterpiece. But the script is sharp enough, & Emma Stone's performance is so unbelievably winning, that any hiccups that occur along the way, including the crawling-across-the-finish-line ending, doesn't detract too much. For 60 of the 90 minute running time, 'Easy A' takes smart, satirical, hysterical jabs at aspects of pop culture within the high school realm; reminding me of Election, 10 Things I Hate About You, & Mean Girls along the way. We live in a society where ANY kind of notoriety, good or bad, is seen in a positive light. And 'Easy A' does well to debunk that current state of acceptance. I wish more "celebrities" weren't such because of their own self-absorbed, attention-grabbing crassness.
Some of the jabs that 'Easy A' takes on current pop culture have been done before, & better. i.e., the funny-but-familiar 'sex scene' with Olive & her gay pal; and showcasing the religious teens on campus as holier-than-thou bible singin' freaks. They chant & praise. We laugh. But nothing really comes of it, other than it coming across as being unnecessarily hard on religious kids. But overall, everything is handled with freshness, fast-paced wit, & ease. Teens should relate to this movie. And adults, like myself (30 yrs. old) fondly recall the carefree absurdity of high school while watching it. I also liked cheeky references to 1980's pop songs, as well as John Hughes' 1980's teen flicks (Say Anything, Can't Buy Me Love); sampled in clever montages throughout. And as mentioned above, 'Easy A' models Nathaniel Hawthorne's ancient novel, 'The Scarlett Letter', as a framework for the main plot. How cool is that?
Emma Stone is simply wonderful as our Olive; spewing funny dialogue & maneuvering through the movie with casual, but genius-like aplomb. In comedies such as this (with sassy breakneck-paced dialogue/banter, not unlike 2007's Juno), comedic timing is everything. And Emma nails every single self-deprecating beat. It's the combination of her comedic timing with her natural charm which aids the movie so very well. Another thing: the camera loves her. Every look she gives, every step she takes ... this girl has just got IT. Stanley Tucci & Patricia Clarkson are priceless as Olive's very modern, carefree parents. They look like they had a ball with this script. And it's nice to see parents being portrayed on film as supportive, & not harpies. And both Thomas Haden Church & Lisa Kudrow have their moments as Olive's teacher & guidance counselor. Kudrow, in particular, always surprises me with her versatility.
In closing, 'Easy A' is a very good movie, without being an exceptional film. Despite its flaws, anyone with a brain & a sense of humor can tell that the film has been made with incisiveness, intelligence, & care for making a ... you know ... decent film. I laughed a lot throughout 'Easy A'. I will rent or buy the DVD when it comes out. And I have a crush on Emma Stone. What more could I really ask for? Perfection?
After that, when she helps a gay friend (Dan Byrd) establish his straightness (so as not to be assumed gay) via a fake sex act (that everyone can hear, but not see), the snowball effect takes over for Olive. Reputation overrides what's really going on. More & more students talk about Olive. They think she's a slut. Boys are paying her (mostly in gift cards) to 'say' that they had sex with her; all so everyone can "up" their own reputations & make names for themselves. Olive enjoys this notoriety for a while, but soon learns that the negatives associated with feigned-popularity outweigh whatever positives she gets out of it. This includes toying with her favorite teacher's (Thomas Haden Church) marriage (to Lisa Kudrow), the effect her reputation has on her education, her relationship with her ultra-cool parents (Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson), & hampering chances to be with a guy she genuinely likes, Todd (Penn Badgely), & he who genuinely likes her.
I had a blast watching 'Easy A'. The last 20-25 min. or so run out of steam; which is a shame, because I was SO enjoying myself, & relishing how excellent the movie was. I mean, I'd hardly call this romantic comedy a masterpiece. But the script is sharp enough, & Emma Stone's performance is so unbelievably winning, that any hiccups that occur along the way, including the crawling-across-the-finish-line ending, doesn't detract too much. For 60 of the 90 minute running time, 'Easy A' takes smart, satirical, hysterical jabs at aspects of pop culture within the high school realm; reminding me of Election, 10 Things I Hate About You, & Mean Girls along the way. We live in a society where ANY kind of notoriety, good or bad, is seen in a positive light. And 'Easy A' does well to debunk that current state of acceptance. I wish more "celebrities" weren't such because of their own self-absorbed, attention-grabbing crassness.
Some of the jabs that 'Easy A' takes on current pop culture have been done before, & better. i.e., the funny-but-familiar 'sex scene' with Olive & her gay pal; and showcasing the religious teens on campus as holier-than-thou bible singin' freaks. They chant & praise. We laugh. But nothing really comes of it, other than it coming across as being unnecessarily hard on religious kids. But overall, everything is handled with freshness, fast-paced wit, & ease. Teens should relate to this movie. And adults, like myself (30 yrs. old) fondly recall the carefree absurdity of high school while watching it. I also liked cheeky references to 1980's pop songs, as well as John Hughes' 1980's teen flicks (Say Anything, Can't Buy Me Love); sampled in clever montages throughout. And as mentioned above, 'Easy A' models Nathaniel Hawthorne's ancient novel, 'The Scarlett Letter', as a framework for the main plot. How cool is that?
Emma Stone is simply wonderful as our Olive; spewing funny dialogue & maneuvering through the movie with casual, but genius-like aplomb. In comedies such as this (with sassy breakneck-paced dialogue/banter, not unlike 2007's Juno), comedic timing is everything. And Emma nails every single self-deprecating beat. It's the combination of her comedic timing with her natural charm which aids the movie so very well. Another thing: the camera loves her. Every look she gives, every step she takes ... this girl has just got IT. Stanley Tucci & Patricia Clarkson are priceless as Olive's very modern, carefree parents. They look like they had a ball with this script. And it's nice to see parents being portrayed on film as supportive, & not harpies. And both Thomas Haden Church & Lisa Kudrow have their moments as Olive's teacher & guidance counselor. Kudrow, in particular, always surprises me with her versatility.
In closing, 'Easy A' is a very good movie, without being an exceptional film. Despite its flaws, anyone with a brain & a sense of humor can tell that the film has been made with incisiveness, intelligence, & care for making a ... you know ... decent film. I laughed a lot throughout 'Easy A'. I will rent or buy the DVD when it comes out. And I have a crush on Emma Stone. What more could I really ask for? Perfection?