"I used to be anonymous, declares Olive Penderghast (played by Emma Stone). Her clear voice rings out over her high school's grassy quad, and all that can be thought is, "Oh, great, another cliché teen movie." However, as her clear face and snarky attitude appear via webcast, it is evident that <em>Easy A</em> is most definitely not just another teen movie.
In the film, Olive is a sarcastic teen living out her days as a student at Ojai High School. However, after telling best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) a small lie about losing her virginity, Olive is transformed from invisible to invincible. Suddenly, Olive's name is heard everywhere, as students fuel the rumor mill with untrue stories. Hearing of her apparent promiscuity, classmate Brandon (Dan Byrd) approaches Olive in hopes that by having sex, he can improve his reputation. Instead, Olive merely pretends to sleep with him, and his social life is saved. Unfortunately for her, Olive's well-being is forever compromised. More and more classmates flock to her in hopes that she can do the same for them. As a result, she is deemed the school slut and is in danger of losing not only her happiness, but also her place in high school. A modern Hester Prynne from Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, Olive bears the crimson letter "A" on her chest as a glowing reminder of her actions.
Stone definitely rises above expectations in this film. She provides quick-witted humor that keeps everyone gasping with laughter. Her chemistry with parents Dill (Stanley Tucci) and Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) is evident, and portrays the image of an unconventional family. Tucci and Clarkson send audience members into hysterics whenever they are onscreen, together or not. Nevertheless, one of the best parts of the movie is, without a doubt, watching Olive interact with enemy Marianne (Amanda Bynes). Marianne's purist attitude, although very annoying, provides an interesting contrast to Olive's unholy one, especially when Bynes' character becomes agitated.
Luckily for director Will Gluck, there are only a few things to be disliked: the amount of crude language, and the performance of guidance counselor Lisa Kudrow. However, <em>Easy A</em> is definitely worth seeing. It was reminiscent to the 2004 hit <em>Mean Girls,</em> as Olive Penderghast is comparable to Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan). Her greatest desire is to be noticed, and when she finally climbs the social ladder, she wants to descend again. However, we all (well, at least most of us anyway) loved <em>Mean Girls</em>, so there fails to be any reason for everyone to dislike <em>Easy A</em>. Characters are sharp, sassy and all around hilarious. Plus, for all of you romance lovers out there, Easy A includes a love story with <em>Gossip Girl</em> star Penn Badgley! This film is laugh-out-loud funny, and a definite good choice.
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