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During its first few minutes EASY A makes it a point to inform you that it's "not just another high school comedy," and the way the film immediately starts aiming its satirical arrows at the cliches and stereotypes of that genre means that it's a promise we can actually believe. While EASY A may not be entirely unconventional, it's undoubtedly fresh and entertaining, and it gets even better when you add Emma Stone's infectious, spunky persona to the mix. In the same vein as MEAN GIRLS, this film takes aim at the social pressures of high school to give us a plot that may seem outlandish when evaluated as a whole, yet one suspects that there are plenty of situations that will be relatable to anyone who is or has been in that dreaded place called high school.
I thought I was watching myself during the first few scenes of EASY A, as the protagonist, Olive (Emma Stone), confesses to us that she prefers chilling out at home during her weekends rather than going out, partying, going crazy, etc. It's the type of thing people think of as "boring" and criticize you for it in high school, but well, I've been out of high school for six years now, so I no longer care much about that. The same can't be said for Olive, though. She gets pressured so much by her friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) to go camping for the weekend that Olive is forced to tell Rhiannon what she initially thinks is a perfectly harmless white lie: that she's spending the weekend with a guy. After the weekend, facing even more pressure from Rhiannon, Olive says she lost her virginity to said guy. Word of mouth spreads, and suddenly Olive is the resident Paris Hilton of her high school, being gossiped about by everyone. Rather than wallowing in fear, she actually takes advantage of the situation in more ways than one, eventually even making money out of her celebrity status. Of course, as you'll expect, some things go wrong and Olive goes from super popular to super notorious, and as a character says later in the film, "notoriety doesn't really benefit the noted; it only benefits the notees." People love gossip not because they really CARE about the person they're blabbering about, but because they love to tell outrageous stories to others. It makes them feel important. They feed off of it.
Like many high school comedies, EASY A is based on a work of literature (in this case, Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"), but because this movie is as good as it is, it doesn't shy away from referencing its source material, constantly recognizing where and how it draws from it. EASY A doesn't treat us like we're a dumb audience, which cannot be said of most other films of its ilk. Its blatant jab at the Demi Moore film version of Hawthorne's novel is hilarious. EASY A is a smart, knowing work of cinema (the line about "Disneyworld going blue in the last election" is brilliant, and its quick, subtle reference to GOSSIP GIRL and THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS is timed perfectly). First kisses often happen in middle school, and they're generally devoid of the magic that people want for their first kiss, and there are often a lot of nerves involved. In a well-inserted flashback, EASY A takes us to a "sort-of first kiss in middle school" in a scene that is played surprisingly accurately.
If the focus had stayed on Olive's ventures into the dark side of high school popularity, EASY A may have easily been brilliant. The problem comes with a few of the subplots that are worked into the film. Marianne (Amanda Bynes) plays the requisite overzealous Catholic girl who wants to "save" Olive, and while Amanda Bynes is a wonderful comedic actress (it's really a shame that she announced her retirement from acting), she's saddled by a 100% cliched cardboard character that borders on cartoonish (it's not a problem with the performance - it's with the way the character was written). Similarly, the film features the requisite love interest, Todd (Penn Badgley), and of course, he's the only person who "doesn't believe" any of the rumors said about Olive and who wants to simply like her for who she is. We've seen this too many times before. Finally, there's a very awkward plot line that becomes more important than it should have, and it involves the school's guidance counselor having an affair with one of the students (of course, the student is a 22-year-old who has been held back a few grades, since we wouldn't want anything too dirty/illegal to happen here now, would we?).
Still, Emma Stone's charm ultimately carries the film and tips the scale in its favor for a recommendation. After seeing her supporting roles in SUPERBAD and ZOMBIELAND, I was particularly excited about this movie because her performances in those two films were incredibly natural (not a single false note) and she accomplishes the same in EASY A. The film is obviously a star vehicle for Stone, but we never feel like she's being jammed down our throats. She's giving an authentic performance and it seems like it's important for her to do so. Patricia Clarkson gives a delightful performance as Olive's mother, at times delivering some magnificently acerbic lines (most notably when she talks about her experiences during her own high school days).
While I can't give EASY A its titular grade, there's no doubt that it's a solid B, with its sharply observant script and good sense of humor.
6/10
