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Admittedly, I'm a bit biased when it comes to Emma Stone. I think she's a downright marvelous actress. She's proven she can handle just about any material that is thrown at her and do so seemingly effortlessly. That being said, I was a bit wary and going backward in her filmography and checking out "Easy A". How could I fairly judge what seemed to be a teenage dramedy (Stone bias notwithstanding) in light of the material she'd taken on since her stellar rise to fame? Despite these misgivings, I took on the task because, hell, at least it wasn't her voiceover turn in Marmaduke, right?
The plot seems simple on the surface: A young girl's lie spirals out of control and she is labeled as more than promiscuous by her peers. In spite of this, she ardently (and selflessly) embraces the rumor and soon finds herself in a maelstrom of criticism and gossip that reveals more about those around her than herself in.
Lo and behold, I ended up pleasantly surprised at how utterly enjoyable and amusing "Easy A" actually turned out to be. My fears of it being shallow teen fodder were instantly cast away and I quickly found myself settling into the witty dialogue and, more so, its clever update of one of literature's classics "The Scarlet Letter".
Although the latter element was one of the film's selling points, it takes something special to make something as audacious as an update of a classic set of ideas and themes and have it work, much less prove relevant to the original work AND modern times. To top it all off, it does all this while never losing its own particular identity as a comedic film. It also admirably manages to delve deeply into many of aforementioned themes without being slavishly bound to them, a sin that would of the made the film woefully dreary.
Yes, "Easy A" is film that sets out to make a big statement about people's perception and the effects of social stigmas but, unlike, its inspiration, it doesn't martyrize its protagonist to do so, instead it smacks a smile on your face and gives you the two sides of the coin. Surprisingly, using teen movie tropes and archetypes end up servicing this goal exceptionally well and it was quite satisfying to see the movie turn expected circumstances on their head and do something unique with them.
Emma Stone as the defacto would-be Hester Prynn , Olive, possesses such a natural charm and timing that just oozes off the screen. She's a delight to watch as the snarky and smart lead and, really, it's hard to imagine the movie being as effective had someone with that much talent not filled that particular role. She really carries the movie on her shoulders. That's not to say that the rest of the cast are slouches. Quite the contrary, everyone is sharp and on their game here.
The filmmakers clearly had a great love of John Hughes movies and tones and tropes from those are also weaved into the film's tapestry that inform the viewer or pay homage to one of the greats of teen cinema. Though i wouldn't compare "Easy A" to a Hughes film as their ultimate intent and styles differ, I did find the references appropriate not only narratively but in the sense that much like a Hughes films there's a timeless feeling to this one. Indeed, "Easy A" has loftier goals but, more than that, it appeals to people of all ages despite its target audience. This is a movie that could easily be shown as part of a curriculum to inform students on the subtext of writing while never once boring them.
"Easy A" never sinks to comedic depths to get its laughs and expertly avoids a lot of the trappings of sub-par comedy films. Instead, it remains distinctly clever and subtle in its delivery and, for that reason, it will age fantastically. As I write this nearly a decade has passed since it's release and it remains fresh and prescient.
I'm glad to have watched and I'm glad to say that I'll be adding it to my rotation of movies that I'll watch again. It's a comfortable movie that way. I give Easy A a 8.5/10
