"Easy A" a difficult watch...

Rating: 2/10 (9 February 2011)

"Easy A" a difficult watch...
Would you pay someone to lie for you? What if you were a really fat guy who eats mars bar shirtless poolside (I didn't make that up, it's in the movie) and you could pay a really hot girl (Emma Stone) to say that she kissed you, would you do it? What about if you were the girl, Olive, would you take the money and lie? That's the situation that Olive finds herself in after an false rumour of her losing her virginity is spread around the entire school. But instead of denying the gossip, Olive buys into it by donning slutty outfits and accepting discount cards and cash from boys in return for lies about sexual exploits they've shared. When STD's, adultery and a shot at actually losing her virginity to a guy she likes pops up, Olive needs more than money and lies to rescue her..
Okay that last sentence really killed all the good work that I'd put into the opening of the review, I suppose it's because I've just watched the whole 92 minutes of "Easy A" and I'm feeling anything but inspired or happy, two things I'd like to feel after watching a comedy/romance. Maybe I'm asking too much of a teen movie? It just lacked any sort of believability or depth. You'd be right in thinking believability and depth are hardly two strong characteristics you'd associate with the romantic-comedy genre, but it's what make classics last, think Breakfast at Tiffany's, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually and Bridget Jones. Why? Because these qualities make you relate to the characters: you cry when they cry; if the protagonist finds love, you also believe you can find love etc And I'm afraid, the films allusion to The Scarlet Letter (a 1850's novel about an adulterous woman) is a poor attempt at giving the film depth.
It's unfortunate really, because the cast is alright (Lisa Kudrow, Stanley Lucci), the age old topic of lying never gets old and the power of gossip in the playgrounds is especially relevant today with social networking sites like face book adding whole new dimensions to how messages are spread and the new ways kids are bullying each other. The character of Olive, a girl who ignores what other people say about her and has a refreshingly deep voice, could also be a strong role model for young women, but even with Stone's fairly natural acting ability, she is let down by the average and unimaginative script that tries too hard to be cool and comes off as being dated.
But if you want to see for yourself, and you make it to the end, you'll be rewarded with a snippet of music from Australia's 'Angus and Julia Stone'. Read more of my reviews here: http://www.blockbustersuperblogger.com.au/1266