Cinema Verdict Review: Easy A

Easy A

OPENING: 09/17/2010

STUDIO: Sony Pictures

RUN TIME: 92 mins

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Let’s not and say we did

Opening Statement
Easy A is a unique high school film in that it is an homage to the ’80s teenage classics while at the same time mildly pointing out how idealistic and unrealistic some of those films were. The writing is filled with clever wit and unexpected turns that proved to be more interesting as the film went on. For the most part, the cast was superb with Emma Stone leading the ensemble and only a few weak characters kept Easy A from scoring an A. I will, however, award the film a B+ along with a gold star (smiley face to be determined).

Facts of the Case
High school student Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity and the rumor spreads throughout the school like wildfire. Soon after, Olive’s gay friend Brandon confides in Olive and asks if they can’t have an imaginary fling to help hide his orientation. She agrees and is quickly labeled the school tramp as numerous others begin offering to pay her for their own rumor. Where at one point she was a face in the crowd, Olive is now the center of the school’s attention, even if for a list of untrue events. Olive wises up and begins using this reputation to climb up the social ladder, although the effects eventually take a toll on her emotions.

The Evidence
Many things haven’t changed between the high school flicks of the ’80s and the high school flicks of today–we have twenty-five year olds playing high school students, beautiful people everywhere, and the girl almost always gets the guy (and vice versa). Easy A falls in line with the other genre films, but does so in a way that is refreshing and somehow steers clear of the usual plot points. The film starts with Olive (Emma Stone) making a video on her webcam where she states that “there are two sides to every story”. She wishes her life was like an ’80s movie but unfortunately John Hughes didn’t direct it. From the first scene, we know that Olive is a romantic and loves the ’80s teen films that are now deemed classics in film. Films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Say Anything are all referenced by Olive and it’s easy to conceive that by the time someone reaches high school, he or she has probably seen those films at one point or another. It isn’t often that a film references other films of the same genre, but Easy A does so brilliantly without feeling hokey or unbelievable.

Easy A works as a film mainly because of the extraordinary work of most the cast as much as the well written screenplay. (I’ll elaborate on the most later.) Emma Stone is rock solid as Olive, the spunky, yet relatively innocent high school student who is clearly self conscious about her lack of sexual endeavors. Even Olive’s best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) hassles her incessantly about “doing the deed” until Olive finally caves and concocts a story about losing her virginity to a college student over the weekend, only to be overheard in the ladies’ bathroom by religious fanatic Marianne (Amanda Bynes). Gossip abounds and the student body is soon obsessed with a full blown rumor that can’t be stopped. Seeing that not much can be done to remedy the situation, she agrees to another rumor to help her friend Brandon after he tells her of his daily persecution. The next student to ask for a rumor does so in the form of a bribe and Olive quickly realizes this rumor mill could become quite the cash cow. These rumors aren’t without their repercussion and the conflicting emotions of Olive are superbly played by Stone, who does a fantastic job as someone who isn’t quite sure if she’s making the right decisiosn. The part could have easily been played straight, with no depth to the character, but Stone’s uncertainty gives Olive an insecurity that many people can relate to. With lines like “If there’s one thing worse than Chlamydia, it’s Florida”, Easy A has the wit of Bring It On (a film I admittedly love), but is grounded in an emotional substance that sets it apart from other teen films.

Many of the supporting actors are not to be skimmed over, as Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as Olive’s parents add volumes to the delightfulness of the picture. Clarkson and Tucci work splendidly together and bounce dialogue off each other well, making for some of the funniest scenes in the film. In the same way as Stone, their characters aren’t simply a vehicle for comic relief, as it is evident that they genuinely care for Olive. Like most parents, they are oblivious to the goings on at school, and can only be involved as much as their daughter will allow. Lisa Kudrow and Thomas Haden Church play two of the teachers at the high school, giving performances that are far from the clichéd teachers we’ve seen in teen flicks. The involvement of these characters is more than just filler, as their parts are pivotal in the progression of the story.

Easy A is a film that delivers in quite unexpected ways. For instance, even the title can’t be taken at face value as “easy A” refers not to sliding by with an effortless A grade, but is a reference to embroidered A upon the blouse of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, the book that Olive is studying in class and is alluded to throughout the film. After Olive willingly sets loose the barrage of rumors at school, she soon understands how Hester felt as the center of social ostracism. The parallels are a little too real for Olive, but unlike Hester Prynne, she uses the rumors to her advantage, and unlike the ’80s films that Olive loves, the outcome of her decisions aren’t as ideal as expected. The allusions to other movies are beautifully worked into Easy A, showing not only what Olive’s world isn’t, but what she wishes it was.

What is truth and how powerful is the rumor mill? These are questions that Easy A asks and critiques, while also commenting on the superficiality of teenage life. Church’s character comments on the urge of the younger generation to broadcast their lives online (Facebook, etc) and how that may not be a good thing. I mentioned in my opening statement that most of the characters were superb. My only real critique stems from the phoned-in characterizations of the religious fanatics, led by Amanda Bynes. This is par for the course for Hollywood films and is no fault of Bynes or the other actors, but moreso a lack of effort by the writer to find a personified source of conflict for Olive. For a film commenting on the power of rumor and truth, the haphazardly written religious students worked against the meaningful commentary the film was providing. To further fall into the Hollywood cliché, Olive seeks guidance at the church over the regret of her previous choices, but even those characters were written off, with the clergy being painted as the enemy. Eventually, Olive gets the answers from her formerly promiscous mother, since only those who have tried everything can provide the truth in some form. I guess. Easy A was a great film, but leaned on the crutch of stereotyped religious fanatics as the “bad guy”, unfortunate characterizations that it did so well to avoid much of the way.

Closing Statement
I thoroughly enjoyed Easy A. The screenplay worked in references to old films without being campy and provided a brief look at the world portrayed in those films versus the world portrayed in this one. Strong performances and well thought out characters–aside from a few–made for a surprisingly good film.

The Verdict
8/10

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