Easy A (2010)

Directed by: Will Gluck | 92 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Fred Armisen, Juliette Goglia, Jake Sandvig, Morgan Rusler, Nicki Tyler Flynn, Braeden Lemasters, Mahaley Hessam, Jameson Moss, Blake Hood, Bryce Clyde Jenkins, Neil Soni, Stacey Travis, Bonnie Burroughs, Eddie Applegate, Norma Michaels

Teen comedies come in all shapes and sizes. Most high school movies are predictable and bland. Every now and then a teen comedy pops up that does turn out to have eternal value. In the 1980s, John Hughes released several films that still serve as blueprints for the genre, such as ‘Sixteen Candles’ (1984), ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985) and ‘Pretty in Pink’ (1986). A decade later, it was Amy Heckerling’s ‘Clueless’ (1995) that managed to rise far above average. This modern take on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ launched Alicia Silverstone as a star (although she didn’t make the most of it). A few years later, in 1999, Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ formed the basis of the successful teen comedy ’10 Things I Hate About You’, with breakthrough roles for Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. ‘Mean Girls’ (2004) with Lindsay Lohan could also be considered one of the best in the genre. In ‘Easy A’ (2010), Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’ forms the basis for a successful high school comedy. Directed by Will Gluck, this film is a true showcase for the young Emma Stone, a talented and headstrong actress who effortlessly carries the film on her slender shoulders.

Olive Penderghast (Stone) experiences how a gossip can take on a life of its own when she jokingly tells her best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) that she slept with a much older boy. It no longer matters that Olive was actually at home all weekend: in no time the whole school will know about her sexual excess. Because she actually enjoys being the center of attention for once, she keeps up with her lie. In fact, she adds fuel to the fire when her good friend Brandon (Dan Byrd), who is being bullied for his homosexuality, asks her for a favor. Before long, all the outcasts knock on her door for the same favor. Olive is not the angriest and helps them climb the social ladder. But this is at the expense of its own image and reputation. Everyone at school thinks she is a whore, who goes to bed with everyone for money. Initially, she carefully cultivates that image, parading around school in tiny outfits with a red ‘A’ embroidered on it (much like Hester from ‘The Scarlet Letter’). But when even the teachers get involved, it all becomes too much for Olive.

Teen comedies often follow a certain pattern and that also applies to ‘Easy A’. Also in this movie there are bullies and scumbags, popular teens and misfits. Of course there is a prince on the white horse waiting for Olive and it all ends well. So predictable is ‘Easy A’ in a way. Still, this film does it differently than most teen comedies. A lot has to do with the sharp observations and striking one-liners that Emma Stone throws into the air. Sarcasm is rampant and that’s so refreshing. Writer Bert V. Royal ridicules religious fanaticism in the US with a hypocritical group of Jesus freaks led by Marianne, played by Amanda Bynes, who is ready to condemn Olive. Less successful are the teacher couple Thomas Haden Church (Olive’s favorite teacher) and Lisa Kudrow (the dean who is not so careful with marital fidelity) and that is mainly due to Kudrow who does not get rid of the role of Phoebe from ‘Friends’. knows how to shake. Hilarious, then, are Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as Olive’s pleasantly deranged parents, with whom – for a change – she has a very good relationship. They are alternative people with a sharp tongue, as we also saw in ‘Juno’ (2007). Every comment Tucci makes is spot on! The countless references to music and movies from the 1980s (most explicitly to ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ from 1987) are the icing on the cake for anyone who consciously experienced that era – or who still remembers it many years later. raves.

Of course there is also a lot to criticize about ‘Easy A’. Not every joke is equally subtle (with the fictitious sex scene between Olive and her gay friend Brandon as the low point) and in the end they bow to the conventions of Hollywood, because it doesn’t really fit the style and tone of the film. Still, you forgive this film for its missteps. This is mainly due to Emma Stone, who manages to carry this film effortlessly with a charming performance full of cynicism and worldly wisdom. We hope to hear a lot more from her. ‘Easy A’ is finally one of those teen comedy that you can really laugh about and far too few are made of it!