Easy A

Last night, I watched Easy A, a teen comedy about a rumor that deemed a then-social nobody a slutty tramp, because it looks like a movie I'd be entertained by, since I am a teen myself. And entertained I was. It was surprisingly excellent and full of actors I absolutely love (except Emma Stone). Regardless what I think of her, and how unconvincing she is for the role, she played it very well and even made me laugh at times! And she can look whoreish if she needs to.

Easy A starts out with Olive Penderghast (played by Emma Stone) filling the audience in on who she is and what her live Internet broadcast will be about. She explains that she is invisible to everyone and how guys wouldn't notice her if she was a ten-foot skyscraper. (Shocker.) Her best friend, Rhiannon (played by Aly Michalka), is her polar opposite (that's how it is for most movies anyway), being a wannabe tramp and incredibly easy. One tiny fib placed her life in a downward spiral. To get out of hanging out with her friend, she said she had a date with some college guy who didn't exist. When her "Pocket Full of Sunshine" weekend was over, Rhiannon pressured her into confessing to having sex with her imaginary date. Coincidentally, the most Christian, prissy girl in school, Marianne (played by Amanda Bynes), overheard her false confession and spread it among the school.

Now everyone knew Olive, who seemed to relish the infamous reputation she received, all because she was finally noticed. With this popularity came a price. One out-of-the-closet guy, who needed an alpha-male status to avoid constant beatings, requests one night of fake passion from her. She accepted, for, with her pure soul, she wanted to help his high school existence. This only raised her notoriety, which brought more desperate guys and an enraged group of Christians. They protested against her and vowed to have her ridden from the school. Olive chose to fight fire with fire and decorated her wardrobe with a single letter A, symbolizing what Hester Prynne, who committed adultery, did in The Scarlet Letter. This begins to concern many students and teachers alike, including Mr. and Mrs. Griffith (played by Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow), a married couple who are also fellow teachers in the school. Soon after, we discover that Micah, Marianne's equally religious boyfriend, is diagnosed with chlamydia (and we all know what that means! Mr. Hypocrite had sex before marriage!). But the real shocker is that Mrs. Griffith gave it to him, which means that they are sexually involved, and she's a cheater and could get fired for sleeping with a student. Even if he's a 22-year-old senior. (Reason for his repetitive failures is that He didn't give him the right answers to graduate.) But, of course, he couldn't say that a teacher gave him this disgusting infection. Instead, he put the blame on floozy Olive, who can't even get one true date without getting gift cards for the naughty deed.

Of course, there is hope for our dear, innocent Olive, and his name is Woodchuck Todd, the incredibly cute mascot. Together, they erase all the nasty rumors with a live broadcast explaining everything, which is where our movie began and ends. The ending is extremely romantic, where it combines three 1980-movie endings (Todd outside Olive's window, holding iPod speakers up playing "Don't You (Forget about Me)", and riding with her with fists in the air.

Easy A was surprisingly great for a teen flick, and I recommend it to people of all ages. It isn't as inappropriate as the title suggests, just enough for teenagers today to enjoy. Emma Stone was actually more than decent here, and proved to be perfect for the role, and her bitter wit was to die for. Amanda Bynes, as always, was wonderful in a role that wouldn't necessarily fit her, for she usually plays the care-free, friendly girl. And I desperately hope she isn't serious about retiring from acting because she is truly marvelous, and one of the few actresses who is not addicted to drugs or drama. Another major plus of the movie were the parents of Olive (played by Stanely Tucci and Patricia Clarkson), who were the dream parents of most teenagers, being insanely easygoing, "open" authorities. (See for yourself, they're pretty unusual.) It was pleasant to see Thomas Haden Church in this flick, for he is not often used and very under looked as an actor. Penn Badgely (Gossip Girl), who played Woodchuck Todd, was also a definite bonus, being naturally charming and very attractive.
I highly urge moviegoers to add Easy A to their list because it is delightfully original and full of humor. I give it a 74/100, because clearly the "A" stands for awesome.