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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Sep 22, 2010
Emma Stone in "Easy A."
“Easy A”
(Screen Gems)
“Easy A” is going to be this season’s movie you love to hate. An homage to John Hughes, with “Saved!,” Cameron Crowe and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” thrown in for good measure, the movie is as offensive as it is amusing. Not that amusement and offense are mutually exclusive, but this is proof that we haven’t come that far since “Sixteen Candles.”
Good student Olive (Emma Stone) flies under the radar at her Ojai, Calif., high school until her innocent invention of a college-aged boyfriend name George backfires on her in a big way. He doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t stop born-again blabbermouth Marianne (Amanda Bynes) from spreading the word as if it was the word of God. In no time at all, Olive goes from virtual unknown to hot commodity to modern-day Hester Prynne.
Along the way she finds time to rub Marianne the wrong way, come to the aid of gay classmate Brandon (Dan Byrd), lose the friendship of best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka), get the attention of favorite teacher Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church) and his guidance counselor wife Mrs. Griffith (Lisa Kudrow), risk expulsion by school principal Gibbons (Malcolm McDowell), keep more than her share of other people’s secrets, potentially rekindle a failed middle-school romance with Todd (Penn Badgley) and put together a five-part webcast to set the record straight, so to speak.
Stone is charming as Olive, giving her just the right amount of sweet and saltiness. But it’s her too-cool-for-school parents, Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson ) and Dill (Stanley Tucci), who add the spice to their scenes and practically walk away with the movie.
