Starring:- Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell.
Director:- Will Gluck
As I flicked through the TV listings as I aimlessly do on lazy Sunday evenings, I hopefully glanced at Film4. I am usually greeted with Transformers 12 or the Transporter Reinvented, at which I instantly switch to endless repeats of QI. This time I came across "Easy A". Hmmm. Not heard of that one. After a quick read of the bio I thought it would be quite a nice film for the aforementioned lazy Sunday evening. I have mentioned previously that I always watch films with an open mind no matter what other reviewers have said. I felt it wouldn't tax my brain too much, so I keyed it in.
Easy A is essentially a reworking of Hestor Prynne's 'The Scarlett Letter' and follows clean cut high school student, Olive (Emma Stone), as she seeks to improve her social standing, not to mention her financial one. After lying to her best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) about losing her virginity to a community college freshman, the school rumour-mill goes into overdrive instantly transforming her from nobody to foxy temptress. Lie follows lie, social standing alters and oddly, the money starts to roll in as Olive revels in her new found wealth and social standing, not realising just how close to the edge of the cliff she really is.
Easy A is entertaining throughout and stylishly made, small details such as the slanted titles, and the webcast narration spring to mind. Easy A isn't hilarious by any means, but it is light-hearted with some funny moments, and yet does have a bit of bite.
Olive loves her new life. Catapulted into the limelight she is initially in control, confident she can restore whatever enjoyable damage she does. However, very quickly she loses control, in the process losing her friends and reputation. Easy A raises an interesting question which I have often thought about, and that is when a guy sleeps with a lot of women he is celebrated as a stud, yet when a women sleeps with a lot of men she will be derided as a slut. Polar opposites despite both parties doing exactly the same thing. The herd mentality, people living off tittle-tattle, believing absolute rubbish is portrayed better than any other medium I have seen. It shows people's general inability to stand out from the crowd and actually question things.
I won't deny that I enjoyed Easy A, but I found a few pitfalls difficult to ignore. Olive herself is far, far too clever for the role she plays. I doubt very much whether a real teen in a similar position would deal with the derision Olive faces so coolly. Olives parents, interesting characters portrayed by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, are initially reasonably funny when Olive starts her 'transformation'. However, as the crisis escalates they maintain their blasé stance. Now, being a parent myself, I doubt whether I would react as they do! They barely speak to her about her problem, instead laughing it off, when in reality parents would be climbing the walls.
One of my bug bares is the 'tagging on' of a love story at the end of a film to fulfil the sop-factor. So many Hollywood films fall into this trap, and Easy A is no exception. Dear Hollywood director, if you must include a needless love story, please let it smoulder through the film, not just Bostick it on at the end. We see Lisa Kudrow, playing Phoebe (can she do anyone else?), very late on in the film as a guidance counsellor- a role which could very easily have been played by someone else. Don't blink or you'll miss Malcolm McDowell playing the headmaster. Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), whilst he gets unfairly embroiled with the Kudrow fiasco at the end of the film, he gives a good performance as the 'I don't care, but really I do' teacher, but seems to flit in and out of the picture.
Now after reading the pitfalls you would be forgiven for thinking that I didn't like the film. I did like it. I liked the premise of be careful what you wish for, and it is fantastic at showing how the rumour mill can be so dangerous to one's reputation. I loved the fact that Olive's reputation became so dirtied, despite her having done absolutely nothing. The film showed the annoying herd mentality of the human race to perfection, and that is the whole point.
Worth a watch.
3.5 stars
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