Easy A
by Dante Rosario on October 9th, 2010
In Will Gluck’s second teen comedy, he examines the difficulties young adults must face everyday, as they struggle to define themselves in the world of overwhelmingly complex social structures and hierarchies, known as High School…What we get is a movie that’s very reminiscent of the 1999, Robert Iscove film, “She’s all that,” as well as Gluck’s first film, “Fired Up.”
“Easy A” centers on an average high school girl named Olive (Emma Stone), getting caught up in the drama that erupts after an innocent lie she and her friend tell about her losing her virginity, goes viral.
As the rumors about Olive spread, she adopts a persona inspired by Hester Prynne from the book “The Scarlett Letter,” which she just happens to be reading at the time. To top it all off, Olive decides to use her newfound reputation as the easy chick, to increase her social status at school, and make a little extra money on the side.
Emma Stone, the perpetual witty female high school student leads the cast of “Easy A,” and as always, her comedic ability and charm shine through brilliantly in her portrayal of Olive. Penn Badgley’s role as the boy who sees through the rumors surrounding Olive is small, but impactful, and Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci both turn in genuine performances as Olive’s very liberal, but loving parents.
Unfortunately, no review of “Easy A” would be complete without mentioning Amanda Bynes’ character Marianne Bryant, the über religious do good princess, hell-bent on destroying Olive’s reputation. As I sat there in the theater watching Marianne’s antics, I couldn’t help thinking…I can’t stand this girl’s holier than thou attitude…And I wasn’t alone, the majority of the characters on screen were all impacted by Marianne’s, Little Miss Perfect, approach to life.
From start to finish “Easy A” is a high school comedy with a bit of a hidden message…For Olive and so many others facing identity issues, the person you sometimes become isn’t always the person you want to be, and popularity isn’t always what it seems… Eventually lies and deceit will catch up to you, and force you to pause, and look at yourself in the mirror.
Of course it’s been a while since I was in high school, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the world Will Gluck has created in “Easy A,” but you never know…maybe high school has gotten this complicated.
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