Easy A (2010)

People are voting emotionally.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This was the first leading performance from the actress, whose name became part of the infamous "envelopegate" Best Picture mistake at the Oscars, she deserved her awards for La La Land, and I looked forward to seeing her earliest big break, directed by Will Gluck (Friends with Benefits, Annie). Basically in Ojai, California, 17-year-old Olive Penderghast (Golden Globe nominated Emma Stone) lies to her best friend Rhiannon Abernathy (Aly Michalka) to get out of going on a camping trip with Rhiannon's parents, Olive tells her that she went on a date. In fact, Olive stays home to listen to Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine", a song played in a greeting card from her grandmother. The following Monday, Olive is pressed by Rhiannon about what happened on this unreal date, Olive lies that she lost her virginity to a guy from college. Prissy and strictly religious Christian student Marianne (Amanda Bynes) overhears their conversation, she gossips and Olive's lie spreads like wild fire, she it at first uncomfortable with the attention. Olive tells the truth to her friend Brandon (Dan Byrd), he explains that he is being bullied for being homosexual, he asks Olive to pretend to sleep with him, to be accepted by everyone as a "straight stud". Brandon convinces Olive to help her, behind a closed bedroom door they pretend to have sex at a party. Following a fight with Rhiannon, who calls her a "dirty skank", Olive finds the attention towards her increasing as flattering, so she embraces and counteracts her "school tramp" image. Olive wears more provocative clothes, stitching a red "A" to everything she wears, this is a reference to the novel The Scarlet Letter, it stands for "adulteress". Boys who usually have no luck with girls start to beg Olive to help them, to say that she had sex with them, to increase their popularity, she agrees, in exchange for gift cards for various stores, in turn increasing her reputation. But then things get worse, Marianne's boyfriend Micah (Cam Gigandet) contracts chlamydia from sleeping with school guidance counsellor Mrs. Griffith (Lisa Kudrow), Micah blames Olive, Mrs. Griffith asks Olive to cover up the affair, so she can keep her job and her reputation, Olive agrees. Rhiannon becomes part of Marianne's religious clique, they begin harassing Olive in order to get her to leave school. Olive has an ill-fated date with Anson (Jake Sandvig), who wants to pay her for sex, and not just pretend, then she starts to reconnect with school mascot and her old love interest "Woodchuck" Todd (Penn Badgley). Todd tells Olive that he does not believe any of the rumours about her, because he remembers the time when she lied for him when he was not ready for his first kiss years ago. Olive then begins to ask everyone she lied for to help her out by telling the truth, but Brandon and Micah have left town, and everyone else refuses, they enjoy their newfound popularity and don't want the truth to get out. Mrs. Griffith also refuses to tell the truth, Olive threatens to expose her affair, but Mrs. Griffith rebuffs her, saying no one will believe her. Out of spite, Olive tells the truth to Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church), he believes her and separates from his wife. After Olive talks openly about her situation to her parents, open-minded mother Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) and equally supportive father Dill (Stanley Tucci), she comes up with a plan to get everything out in the open. Olive does a suggestive song and dance number at the school pep rally to get everyone's attention, and tells them to watch her via web cam, in fact she confesses what she has done, many are seen watching, including the various boys Olive helped. Olive texts Rhiannon, apologising for lying to her, she finishes her web broadcast, Todd is outside on a lawnmower telling her to come outside. Olive signs off the broadcast, saying she may lose her virginity to Todd, and proudly declares "it's nobody's goddamn business", Olive goes outside, she and Todd share a kiss and are seen riding off on the lawnmower. Also starring Malcolm McDowell as Principal Gibbons, Fred Armisen as Pastor, Morgan Rusler as Mr. Abernathy and Nikki Tyler-Flynn as Mrs. Abernathy. Stone has great charisma as the girl who is flattered by the attention she gains as the floozy of the school, it is a very simple story of how one lie about a non-existent fling can get blown out of proportion and add to up to amusingly increasing consequences, and it has a very witty script, a smart and fun teen comedy. Very good!

Olive, a normal college girl, accidentally spreads a rumor about her losing her virginity, being afterwards seen as an easy girl by everyone. With her new status, she starts acting like one, even helping out losers by lying about having slept with them, in exchange for money, coupons or any other financial benefit. As this new attitude advances, she becomes more and more hated and although she thought that covering something up wouldn't hurt anybody, she becomes an outcast. As a result, in order to reveal the truth, she invites the whole college to see a video podcast which might clear her name.It's an interesting idea, the one with which the movie starts, but after that, everything gets as boring as it is predictable. She gets a bad name and eventually she tries to set thing right and who knows, even getting a real date or boyfriend. I really enjoyed Emma's performance, but from my point of view, the whole movie was an extended typical college gossip, which left without contradiction or being played along, isn't going to get you anything good. A bit letdown in my opinion, from any perspective.

This is a teen comedy film set in and around a high school in Ojai in Southern California. Emma Stone plays a 17-year-old girl who becomes infamous after she falsely claims to have had sex.Stone is a grossly overrated actress and none of the characters in the film are likable. Having her character become a notorious slut, in 21st century California, just for having sex once, is ludicrous. Most 17-year-olds have had sex.I don't know what the makers of this film were aiming for. The dialogue was toned down a lot from the original script and it is far too tame to be a raunchy sex comedy along the lines of a female version of American Pie. If Stone is trying to be this generation's Molly Ringwald, then she fails due to lack of likablity and acting talent.

(Originally reviewed: 23/02/2017) Emma Stone is an actress of both talent and beauty; and she pretty much lays claim to this film. Easy A may not be overwhelmingly funny but it does have its moments of pure comedic gold; one which includes a joke about Tom Cruise's Scientology belief; in which Stone is told she will answer to a higher power very soon; in which she says "Tom Cruise", for anyone who is aware of Tom Cruise's religion and what Scientology is about, there's a good chance you will find this amusing. The picture operates at a rapid pace at times with its story but manages to keep rather smart for the first half; there's also some good one liners and some nice scenes involving Stone's character and Penn Badgley (Todd) with real chemistry, and Stone with her family where you can see a more mild sense of comedy, but one that is certainly funny and harmless and kudos to Will Gluck as well; for his decent direction.The second half is where I started to complain: instead of a better plot device it decides to go into unnecessary religious territory, with constant babbling about god and sins and the usual religious nonsense; but why does a teen comedy about an intellectual young lady have to involve religion; to me it felt preachy and forced, I did not care for any of the religious stuff that was too over the top, and though there are mild religious themes within the first half; never did it become preachy. I also found a lot of the jokes during the midsection to be stale and there's were too many times during the film where I didn't laugh because at least half of them felt recycled or just plain unfunny. Easy A also has an awful performances from Amanda Bynes (Marriane), this character was the leader of the religious group, and she was just annoying, and void of actual talent; I'm betting she's a model or something and if she is; she should stick to that profession. The other noticeable supporting actors are good, this included Thomas Haden Church (Mr Griffith), Patricia Clarkson (Olive's mother), Stanley Tucci (Olive's father) and Lisa Kudrow as Mrs Griffith. The screenplay could have been better but there are just enough fresh dialogue, funny moments and solid scenes to warrant a recommendation; Seeing Emma Stone insult Demi Moore's British accent in the remake of the Scarlett Letter is at least worth the price of admission.