Easy A
Here’s a film that’s sweet, sassy, sexy, and easily worth an “A” for the lead performance by Emma Stone as Olive Penderghast, a high school hottie who doesn’t grab the attention of the guys at East Ojai High until a rumor spreads of her losing her virginity to a community college student. But the rumor mill is a fickle beast- once she starts fake-hooking up with all manner of geeks, gays, and other lower-rungs on the HS popularity scale, her newfound notices are less desirable and more dead-ends to puritanical jibes by the Christian fellowship led by Marianne (Amanda Bynes, sinfully funny and sexy).
If this film had come out a decade ago, when “American Pie” raunch was the name of the teen comedy game, this would’ve been a hard R, with vulgar language and gratuitous nudity in the way it told Olive’s story. And had Emma Stone been the star, it would’ve no doubt been entertaining…
…But it also would’ve missed the point of Bert V. Royal’s sly script. You see, Olive is a virgin. She remains one throughout the duration of the movie. She lies to her best friend Rhi (Alyson Michalka) about the guy from community college- she was home all weekend- but is overheard by Marianne. Soon enough, the whole school looks at her like Hester Prynne, the heroine of “The Scarlett Letter,” which, coincidentally, Olive is studying in class right now. And just like that, being seen as a high school slut isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. That’s not to say she doesn’t play the part to the hilt, but she’d like to go on a “real date” sometime…
Director Will Gluck (“Fired Up!”) hits all the right comic notes in this irreverent look at modern high school in all its absurdity and silliness. And what a cast he’s put together! Whether it’s Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as Olive’s loopy but loving parents, Thomas Hayden Church as Olive’s concerned English teacher, Lisa Kudrow as a guidance counselor (and Church’s wife) with some secrets of her own, Malcolm McDowell as the school’s principal, Stone is never far from a pro in peak comedic form.
Still, in the end this is all about Olive, and Stone gives a sweet star-making performance that allows her to move effortlessly from one emotional area to another. Even after standout performances on TV’s “Drive,” “Superbad,” “Zombieland,” and “The House Bunny,” Stone was just a sharp-witted comic foil for the real stars of the project. Here, she shows she’s more than capable of being a star herself. Here’s hoping we get more opportunities in the future to see her mature onscreen.
