More of a lazy A but still fun

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2011)

An obvious riff on The Scarlet Letter but watchable and fun. There are the obvious stereotype liberal California parents played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson with great style. They're not completely clueless but trust their daughter's common sense. There is an adopted younger black little brother whose presence is meant to reaffirm the parents liberal bent but nothing is done with his character. It's as if the writers figured they would get some ideas but never did.
Emma Stone is fine as Olive the modern day Hester Prynne but unlike Hester Olive wears her A, literally, as a virginal do-gooder throughout the film. She assists teenage boys in establishing a reputation as a stud while she trashes hers. There is the friend her turns on her (Alyson Michalka), the well meaning popular teacher (Thomas Haden Church) , the clueless principal (Malcolm McDowell) , and a traitorous guidance counselor (Lisa Kudrow).
A large number of allusions to contemporary culture are scattered throughout the film which add to the humor but in ten years few will recall the references. I enjoyed the references to the Demi Moore film The Scarlet Letter which only shared the title with Hawthorne's novel as everything else in the film sprang from the mind of some incompetent screenwriter.
I got some good laughs out of this film but was never sure who the intended audience was. It is certainly a typical teen film but also a bit more. I wouldn't go out of my way to find this film but its quite watchable and you won't feel you wasted and hour and a half by watching it.