Emma Stone shines in this fine teen comedy

Rating: 8/10 (20 March 2016)

Olive is an ordinary Californian high school girl whose life is thrown into disarray after one little lie; wanting to get out of going camping with her best friend she claims to have a date with a college boy. Afterwards her friend wants all the juicy details; Olive says nothing happened but isn't believed. Getting bored of denying it she finally admits that she slept with the non-existent boy. That might have been the end of it but her confession was overheard by the school's resident bible-basher and soon everybody knows of her sinful ways. At first she rather enjoys the attention and even plays on it by letting people believe she also had sex with a boy who everybody thought was gay. Soon every boy who wants everybody to think he has been with a girl is paying her for the privilege of saying they'd slept with her. Inevitably things quickly get out of hand but by then getting anybody to believe the truth will be almost impossible especially when so many have benefited from the lies.
In many ways this feels like a classic '80s high school movie, which is of course deliberate; at one point our protagonist tells us how she wishes her life was like those portrayed in various films of that era. The story is enjoyable with plenty of laughs from start to finish. The way it is linking to the classic book 'The Scarlet Letter' which Olive's class just happen to be studying is well handled and fun as well as giving Olive an excuse to wear some interesting clothes complete with a large red 'A'. Emma Stone carries the film in the role of Olive; there is barely a moment when she isn't on screen. She does a great job keeping the situation believable and making her character the most sympathetic even though it was her 'little lies' that caused her problems. The rest of the cast is solid too; most notably Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson who play Olive's somewhat embarrassing, hippyish parents. The conclusion ending, where Olive finds actual romance, may be a little cliché but even this is handled well with a very deliberate nod to 'The Breakfast Club'. Overall I'd say that I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and would definitely recommend it to anybody wanting a modern take on the classic teen movie.