So I saw this little gem yesterday. Let me just say, I'm glad Juno re-introduced the concept of movies revolving around smart teenage girls. So many of our young women are overexposed to spoiled, entitled, plastic bimbos in the media that are as dumb as boxes of hair and glorify frivolous things like partying and being super rich (Paris H., I'm looking at you!). It's so refreshing to see a young heroine who actually has something of substance between her ears.
With my rant now out of the way, Easy A introduces us to Olive Penderghast, deftly played by Zombieland's Emma Stone. Olive soon finds herself right in the midst of the high school rumor mill when she helps a friend (Dan Byrd) out with his rep. As the rumors of her promiscuity run wild, she must deal with the fallout with both the help and hindrance of the people around her, including a loud best friend (Alyson Michalka), holier-than-thou good girl (Amanda Bynes), cool teacher (Thomas Hayden Church), unconventional parents (Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci) and potential love interest (Penn Badgley).
The dialogue is one of the best things about Easy A. The characters talk with a snappy wit which never seems forced and which issued many chuckles from me. The cast was great, and I was especially impressed by Amanda Bynes, who was hilarious and managed to avoid doing that weird bug-eye thing she's often done in her roles.
Easy A, I think, really accurately portrays the high school rumor mill, especially in the information age when cell phones and texting make news instantaneous. It made me very glad that I'm no longer in high school, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way as you feel for Olive and admire how she uses her wits and her integrity to deal with the situation.
My Verdict: A smart, funny and real film about teenagers and rumor, and how the two never should meet.
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