Now Showing: Easy A

September 25, 2010 11:30 am     Posted in Entertainment  Meredith - Boston University g+ page


By Meredith

[Ladies, meet Meredith, the newest addition to the CollegeCandy team. She's a BU student, a movie buff, and an all around fantastic chicadee. She'll be our resident movie gal, giving us the ins and outs of the new releases and telling us whether or not its worth it to fork over $12 for the latest flicks.]

Easy A is the story of “anonymous” high school student, Olive (Emma Stone). Olive tells her story to her webcam in a monologue-esque tone. Although it is clear that she is addressing an audience, this is very clearly HER story. She explains how her friend Brandon asks her to tell everyone that they had sex so that people would think he was straight. In an effort to move the plot along (and because Olive is a great friend), two minutes later, Olive and Brandon are banging on the walls of a party for their faux-sex sesh.

Soon, every nerdy guy is asking Olive to do the same for them. And before long (and after many fake sex sessions) she ticks off the group of Christians at her school, led by Marianne (the retired Amanda Bynes). After a scuffle in an English class that is reading The Scarlet Letter, Olive decides to go all out and put a red A on all of her clothes. For those who have forgotten the plot from the Sparknotes version that they read in high school, The Scarlet Letter is about the Puritan protagonist, Hester Prynne, being forced to wear a red “A” (for “Adulterer”) after getting pregnant out of wedlock.

It’s very rare that some teen movie comes out that speaks to high school students while still making them laugh. Easy A tries very hard to compare itself to John Hughes films, but for our generation, much like 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls. They’re over the top, they’re corny at times, they reinforce certain stereotypes,  but they remain relatable to most “misunderstood” teens. But Easy A isn’t like these movies for one main reason: Easy A doesn’t speak to the group, it tells the story of ONE girl.

Easy A isn’t The Breakfast Club, 10 Things I Hate About You, or Mean Girls for this very reason. That’s why it kind of pissed me off that it was trying so hard to be a “high school film.” Emma Stone is awesome. She’s funny, cute, quirky, and she really can carry this movie. But it isn’t about high school; it’s about Olive and her journey. The film surrounds Olive with geeks, homosexuals, and Christians, but they are nothing but caricatures.

Although I was disappointed that Olive was basically the only developed character, the film was decent. But I wouldn’t rush out to see it. The acting by Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow, and Stanley Tucci was as good as it could have been for the flat characters they were given to work with. Seriously, I’m talking no depth at all and no explanation for any of their character’s actions. I’m hoping that Emma Stone will take be able to take on some riskier roles now that she has proven that she can carry a movie.

By the way, halfway through, I really started to wonder, if word at this school travels so fast that “who’s sleeping with who” gets around before second period AND many guys know that they can hire Olive to lie for them, why are there still people in the school who aren’t in on the scam?

Overall, the film is cute with some fun one-liners. And Emma Stone truly is brilliant. I would recommend it as long as you’re not going in hoping for the Easy A that’s seen in the trailer (a high school comedy that will resonate with all teens). Instead, enjoy Olive’s story.

P.S. Amanda Bynes – will you retire already? JK? But not really? Well, just continue to keep us posted.

12 Comments on "Now Showing: Easy A"

  1. Nicole says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20108:19 am 

    Follow me on rotyourbrain.tumblr.com for more reviews!

  2. Melissa says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20108:27 am 

    This made me so glad! Before this, I was literally the only person I know of who didn't adore Easy A. The portrayal of Christians and gays as totally one-dimensional really pissed me off and I thought they pushed the jokes too far. Like the big tits thing with the blonde girl… come on. It was lame the second time she yelled big tits, she didn't need to keep doing it like 10 times.

  3. L says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20108:56 am 

    I don't get the whole wearing an "A" for this movie. I get that she's trying to connect with Hester, but Hester was accused of Aldutery, and Olive isn't close to that at all. I just feel like it's a forced connection that doesn't really work if you know much about the novel.

  4. Nicole says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20101:19 pm 

    Good review! Here’s my take.

    The Plot: Good girl Olive tells her jealous friend she had sex for some reason and annoying christian girl played by Amanda Bynes overhears her and starts telling everyone about it and suddenly people think she’s a slut. So then she makes friends with this gay guy Brandon and he asks her to pretend to have sex with him and then she starts doing it for everyone. But while she is doing an essentially nice thing, helping dorks and so on, she ends up getting hurt. How will she get back her good reputation? You shall see.

    My Thoughts: I’m a sucker for a story where the outcast prevails. I’m also a sucker for Emma Stone, and the role of Olive which she plays in this movie is so likable that I am kinda actually upset that she can’t walk right off the screen and be my new best friend. Amanda Bynes was okay as the judgemental evangelical christian girl, but she definitely didn’t nail it. Mandy Moore did a much better job in basically the same role in Saved!, another movie which is definitely worth a rent. The cast was surprisingly star studded, considering that it’s basically just a girrrrl power comedy. I loved Thomas Haden Church playing Olive’s favorite teacher, especially when he started to do that annoying rapping-about- literature thing that teachers do in movies and real life in an annoyingly trite way and then stopped and basically made fun of all the teachers who do it. The relationship between Olive and her parents was great and had some fun banter. Penn Badgely was yummy in every sense in a much more likable role than the one he plays in Gossip Girl. I say go see it!! It might be a little forgettable but it’s definitely fun for the duration…I didn’t check my phone once during the whole thing. I say, if you are looking for a night at the movies, choose this one.

    Sidenote: I’m pretty sure The Scarlett Letter is required reading for every high school in the USA, probably because it’s one of the only good pieces of literature that is solidly American from the late nineteenth century. Keep in mind that during this same time period, such English authors as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen were writing, both of whom are probably more recognizable writers than Nathaniel Hawthorne. If you ever have to read it, you might find the preface he wrote interesting. It is kind of humorously written and an interesting insight to his inspiration for writing the book.

  5. Allison K says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20101:40 pm 

    You didn't portray the whole plot of the movie very accurately. Especially you spend at least 15 minutes waiting to get to the point where Olive and Brandon have their fake session. I think you are accurate about how this movie is not a movie about high school, but most of high school students could relate to it due to HOW Olive got to the position she was in; lying about something she didn't do in order to impress her friend or get out of something.

    That is really a key part to the whole story line and yes, the 'A' motif is a stretch from the book but there are lines that bring it to the surface.

  6. Lauren says:
    Sat, 25th Sep 20108:08 pm 

    I saw this and the owl movie in the same night, and honestly, I liked the Legend of the Guardians about 10x better. This one was cute and funny, but like you said, how the f did people not find out about the scam? Ridiculous.

  7. m says:
    Sun, 26th Sep 20108:40 pm 

    maybe I like "crappy" movies but I thought it was hilarious. I feel like if you liked House Bunny you will like this movie. Also keep in mind who you see it with. I saw it with my best friend that likes the same movies as I do. Not some stuck up movie snob that can't enjoy a dumb funny movie for what it is… a dumb funny movie.

  8. Pam says:
    Sun, 12th Feb 20121:11 am 

    You’re wemcole and I learned it all from you and Pops cause you are such an amazing team. I love you, thanks for the great weekend!

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