Easy A ****
Given that director Will Gluck’s first film was the critically derided and commercially unsuccessful teen sex comedy Fired Up! you probably wouldn’t expect much from his second feature comedy, Easy A. However, with an original concept that draws inspiration from the most unlikely of places for a teen comedy –
both a classic piece of American literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 work of romantic fiction The Scarlet Letter, and a classic of Hollywood cinema in the form of the 1926 film adaptation, which provide the inspiration for the use of the letter ‘A’ in this film and which are referenced in several additional incarnations throughout from the 1973 German adaptation Der scharlachrote Buchstabe to the 1995 remake starring Demi Moore, Gary Oldman and Robert Duvall – and a very impressive ensemble cast (every member of whom, incidentally, has the letter a in their name, something the trailer for this film has made very clear), the film has proven to be something of a sleeper hit in the states, popular with both critics and the average moviegoer alike. With additional subtexts added by the referencing of classic literary and filmic works in the film, Easy A may be a comedy aimed primarily at the teen moviegoing demographic but it is also one that offers something of substance for older moviegoers as well – that’s not something that can be said for many modern teen comedies, particularly ones that deal with the issue of sex in such an upfront way, even if this is a sex comedy without any actual sex in it…
Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) is a social outcast whose squeaky clean image has rendered her virtually invisible to everyone at her high school aside from long time best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka). Everything changes for Olive, however, when, sick and tired of being a non-entity and not wanting her friend to know that she simply spent the entire weekend singing alone in her bedroom, she lies about having lost her virginity to a make believe guy, a lie which someone overhears, prompting the rumour mill to swiftly go into motion and Olive’s ‘sexual antics’ becoming known by everyone in the school and coming to the attention of the ultra-uptight and highly religious conservative Marianne (Amanda Bynes). Things take a turn for the scandalous when gay friend Brandon (Dan Byrd), who is constantly being tormented by bullies, asks her for a very big favour. Pretending to sleep with Brandon at a party to make him seem cool she finds her good girl reputation eroding even further. She is approached by other guys offering to pay her in exchange for her to pretend that she has slept with them in order to increase their social standing. Suddenly, Olive is open for business. Inspired by the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, where a woman is found guilty of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet ‘A’ on her clothes, Olive embroiders the letter A in bright red into all her clothes and begins dressing far more provocatively. Her standing within the school skyrockets and she begins to like the extra attention she is getting. She develops a reputation for being the most promiscuous girl on campus, much to the chagrin of her favourite teacher Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church), who sees a lot of potential in her, the stern head of the school Principal Gibbons (Malcolm McDowell) and Marianne, who begins a campaign to get Olive expelled from the school. And when things go a step too far, threatening both Mr. Griffith’s marriage to his wife, the school’s guidance counsellor Mrs. Griffith (Lisa Kudrow), and the future of Marianne’s boyfriend, Micah (Cam Gigandet), Olive realises that what started out as harmless lies might have evolved into something a whole lot more serious. With the support of her loving but embarrassing parents, Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) and Dill (Stanley Tucci), and long time object of affection, Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley), she sets out to make the truth about herself be known.
Smarter, funnier and more insightful than the average teen comedy, Easy A is a film that digs deeper and provides a fresh take on the American high school movie, avoiding many of the usual clichés that so bog down the genre. Not a film about sex but rather the importance of popularity in high school and how easily rumours and gossip spread in a high school environment – something that is illustrated very effectively with some superb fast moving camera work and sharp editing – this is a film that manages to come across as anything but sleazy, director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal avoiding resorting to depicting any graphic content – the closest we get to seeing actual sex here is when Olive and Brandon are in a bedroom making sex noises to fool those listening from the other side of the door – to create the laughs and rather going the route of subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, suggestion, any explicit references that are present being handled very tastefully and sincerely. There is a lot of innuendo here but the way it is presented is almost as though the film is providing a commentary on it rather than just including it for the sake of cheap titillation and in general such innuendos prove quite smart. This is something that is true of the dialogue in general actually, what the characters say being the source of many of the film’s laughs instead of lame gags, it being witty, very funny and sometimes quite memorable. The writing is of a high standard throughout and the postmodern element gives the film a particularly sharp edge, references to various incarnations of The Scarlet Letter, numerous 80s romance movies including Say Anything – illustrating the idealistic view of romance that doesn’t seem to actually exist; “John Hughes didn’t direct my life” says Olive – and even The Bucket List, among other films and literary works, giving the film more poignancy for those looking for more depth, while references to modern aspects of mainstream teen life, such as wittily poking at the sometimes mundane nature of what people post at their statuses on Facebook and a scene where the Bible is compared to Twilight – “That’s in bestsellers, right next to Twilight” – provide also smart laughs for less knowing teen viewers. This is a film with a very “incontrovertible sense of humour” and it really makes a change to many of the cheap shots present in other recent teen movies, Vampires Suck for instance. Honesty is one of the key things that this film really has going for it and it is the honesty that not only makes the film extremely funny but also very sweet at times. The film isn’t just funny either but also has a very good storyline, the presentation of the plot being very well done. Presented in the form of an online webcast where Olive is telling the truth about everything that has happened after the fact, the story is presented mostly in flashback with some occasional voiceover narration by Olive. This kind of format can seem like lazy writing sometimes but here it works well, the fact that she tells her story online making complete sense in the context of the storyline. The story – which differs slightly from the rather misleading trailer – proves genuinely interesting and is also packed full of an array of engaging, well written characters, all of whom are well portrayed by the film’s impressive ensemble cast, even if the film doesn’t make the best use of all of its supporting players. Emma Stone is simply sensational in the leading role, having plenty of opportunity to demonstrate just how multitalented she is. At first, we see her distinctive sarcastic style, something that proves perfect for the role she is playing here but, as the film progresses, we get to see different sides of her as she effortlessly shifts into sassy seductress mode and eventually the honest real girl that Olive is beneath all her lies. Whether she is dishing out bitchy comebacks to those insulting her or breaking down in tears when she sees what damage her actions have caused, the character of Olive never fails to convince thanks to Emma Stone’s brilliant acting. Stone is also a red hot comedy talent and she never fails to entertain, whether she is doing a deliberately bad British accent, strutting around in revealing clothing, singing alone in her bedroom or performing an all out musical number – in which she shows that she is a very good singer as well. Suffice to say, Stone steals the spotlight in this film but this doesn’t diminish the performances on display elsewhere. While Malcolm McDowell is rather underused and Lisa Kudrow sometimes seems like she is still channelling Phoebe from Friends (but is no less entertaining for it), Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci are on top comic form as parents so open it is embarrassing – a scene where they try to guess what ‘inappropriate’ word Olive said in school is priceless – Amanda Bynes delivers a performance more restrained than any she has played in the past, proving completely convincing as a “stuck up Jesus freak”, Penn Badgley is well cast as the charming gentleman type character, Aly Michalka is decent as the best friend and Thomas Haden Church also does a good job in his role. The rest of the cast also prove solid and in one scene flashing back to Olive’s childhood, Juliette Goglia is very well cast as Olive’s eighth grade self. For all the strength of the overall cast, however, it is Emma Stone who really carries the film and carry it she does. She shows here that she really does what it takes to succeed as leading lady and hopefully she will be getting more leading roles like this in the future. So, all in all, Easy A is a teen comedy that delivers more than you might expect, particularly considering the unspectacular marketing campaign. Proving smart, funny and even sweet, this is A grade comedy entertainment and definitely the film to see if you want to a see truly good teen movie.
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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
© BRWC 2010.
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