Movie Review: Easy A

Easy A
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 17, 2010
Tagline: Let's not and say we did (best tagline ever!)
Director: Will Gluck
Recognizable Actors: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Cam Gigandet. Lisa Kudrow, and Stanley Tucci
Plot: After a little white lie about her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlett", which she is currently studying in school -- until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

The Short Review: Witty, hilarious with the right amount of awkward humor, this movie is a must see for any lover of YA.

The Review: From the moment I saw the first trailer, I knew I had to see this movie. Before even knowing about the plot. I saw that Emma Stone (of Zombieland & House Bunny) played the lead Olive and I knew it was going to be great. Then I saw what it was about-- a girl that accidentally spreads a rumor about herself and uses the chance to make herself more popular. Plus, it utilizes a popular trend in novels right now by paralleling the action with an classic perfectly.

I can't say I was disappointed in the list.

The writing is one of the areas where this novel shines. Every word out of Stone's mouth is funny and witty. I would have spent the entire hour just listening to her tell the story on her podcast (though I'm glad I got to SEE what she was saying). From the time she got a singing card which she proclaimed "lame" and then sang with it all weekend, I knew it was going to be one of those movies. Plus, they allowed the main character to be book smart which an almost foreign concept in high school films right now as WELL as street smart. She figured out how to use the rumor mill in her school to her best advantage and made it work.

The other cast of crazy character around her really helped to fill in the movie. From her Frenemy with the nudist parents to her crush who was the mascot of their school (and whose name would change every time the mascot did-- Woodchuck Todd to Lobster Todd) to her oddball parents to the Jesus Freak a la Hillary Faye in Saved. Everyone in the movie was a little off and was amazing because of it.

I could figure out where this movie was going and I really tried. She just kept digger herself into a bigger rut of lies and I wasn't sure she'd be able to get out of it. It tested the bounds of what is "proper" for teens to be and what is "reality". Those who were "proper" like Amanda Bynes religious nut character were out of it and portrayed just as mean as the other character. Olive was portrayed as Hester Prynne and we got to follow her around and see the reason she made each decision she did and the direct consequences of those decisions. It made a statement about people who have "reputations" being the ones that really get to see the true side of others because they don't worry about being judged. The funny thing is, Olive never did anything that was being said and in actuality was the only one who was "good". She had her problems but she would never do most of the things the other character's did and then let her take the blame for.

Emma Stone thinks you should see it too!

This idea of Olive as Hester brings me to my last point. I was a little worried about how following a classic while telling a modern story would play out on the big screen. I have to say, the director and writer worked it in flawlessly. We get a quick sum up of the novel thanks to the old black and white version of the movie (you must have the original NOT the Demi Moore version with her in the bathtub, advice directly from Olive's mouth) and then see how each person in the movie loosely takes on a person from the novel. We also get the literal "A" sown on to all of Olive's clothing which she did to truly make a statement.

Like I said in the beginning, this movie is entertaining and a great commentary on high school now if not a little exaggerated. I really enjoyed going through everything with Olive's great sense of wit as a guide, keeping the story running. I highly recommend it. It truly felt like one of my YA novels come to life in an exciting and visually pleasing way!

Rating: