Film Review: Easy A

Easy A is a charmingly funny teen sex comedy, but without the sex. There has not been a genuinely funny high school movie since Mean Girls; Easy A has changed this.

Based loosely on Nathanial Hawthorne bestseller The Scarlet Letter, this film has some genuinely funny moment that make your stomach hurt and also appeals to your sensitive side as the journey teenagers can go through during high school.

Emma Stone plays leading lady Olive, a fun and charismatic but also book-smart teen that begins to feel the pressures every teenager has to deal with, but in her own entertaining way. She decided to help her gay friend pretend to lose his Virginity, or as it is commonly known as in this film ‘the big V’. Although they do not have sex, word spreads that Olive has finally lost her virginity, much to the dismay of the Evangelical Marianne, played by Amanda Bynes, the president of the schools Christian Society.  Marianne set out to tell everyone what Olive has been up too. After suddenly being branded a tramp, Olive decides to use it to her advantage. She is approached by high school boys who want her to say she has had sex with them and in return will give her gift vouchers or money. Then, her class are studying the book’ The Scarlet Letter’ when the main character Hester Prynne is made to wear the letter ‘A’ on her clothes after an affair with a minister, so that society knows she is a adulterous woman. Inspired by this, Olive then begins to wear a red ‘A’ on all of her clothing as an act of rebellion.  While the whole school believes the rumours, one person knows she is just doing this to get her reputation up, her childhood friend and love interest Todd, played by Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley.

Not only does this film contain some genuinely hilarious moments, it shows the struggle teenagers can go through and the pressures they can face from their fellow peers. With a supporting cast that boasts Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, Cam Gigandet and Alyson Michalka, there is very little this movie has wrong with it. The obvious stand our performance comes from Emma Stone, whose portrayal of Olive is flawless. Her knowledge, mixed with her comic timing and facial expressions, show that she is defiantly a one to watch. Overall, Easy A is a breath of fresh air for the comedy genre and shows how a small white lie can get out of control, with hilarious consequences!