This is an Easy "B"

Rating: 7/10 (19 September 2010)

*** out of (****)
Easy A, advertised as another paint-by-numbers, textbook high school drama extravaganza with little redemption and originality and where style tops substance. Emma Stone as the lead looked very unconvincing as she hasn't been the lead in any of her films and no one could replace Lindsay Lohan in the iconic "Mean Girls". After seeing this film get critically acclaimed and praised, I ventured off to see it on a late Friday night. To my surprise, Easy A is one of those rare high school flicks that is just so effective and is heavily devoid of clichés, predictability, and dry characters. Pretty much every other high school flick has been pretty subpar, with the exception of "Mean Girls". While Easy A is certainly not one of the best films of the year, it's worth the hefty admission. With so many soulless and energy drained flicks that are only worth a fraction of what you spend on a movie ticket, Easy A is worth all your ten bucks.
Easy A, which bares some resemblance to the notorious "The Scarlet Letter", the film even heavily references it, revolves around Olive who feels invisible to everyone at high school. Olive talks to her friend in the bathroom about a guy Olive "dated" and her friend thinks that Olive lost her virginity to the guy. To compromise with her friend, Olive decides to lie about losing her V-card, although, Olive's past Christian fanatic friend overhears them in the bathroom and Olive's lie is inevitably being spread. After this mishap, Olive's homosexual friend asks Olive to moan and make suggestive sounds in a room, where everyone hears, so that people think they have sex, which they don't. Olive agrees to it and now all the nerdy, outcast guys are asking Olive to do the same favor, and rather than neglect it, she milks the attention she's getting. What she doesn't know, is that acting promiscuous can give some guys the wrong idea.
First off, a majority of "Easy A" works because of its script. There is so much wit, references, and dry-pan humor, that this script is probably one of the freshest scripts of the year. Most typical high school films have a mediocre script which heavily references pop culture and expects the audience to play along. "Easy A" has a few more brain cells and rather takes the road less traveled by. Furthermore, the characters in this movie are very likable and fulfill their duties. Emma Stone's performance is so charismatic and fulfilling, if Lohan were to retire a potential "Mean Girls" sequel, the audience would have no complaints about Stone filling in. Actually, in some ways, Stone tops Lohan's delivery. Moreover, the pacing is also highly effective. Scenes go by pretty briskly, without the film feeling too short either. Additionally, the cinematography is pretty much eye candy. This film looks very vibrant and the colors jump off of the screen. It's definitely the epitome of a high school flick.
While "Easy A" soars, there are a few problems. Firstly, the middle kind of sags and almost brings the charismatic outing down. The audience is introduced to a more serious tone and this hurts the film's harmless atmosphere and feels awfully depressing. Furthermore, while the film is pretty much devoid of predictability, the resolution is highly predictable, which is passable considering the rest of the film is pretty unique. Lastly, I found that some of the jokes were hit and miss. For a comedy, the jokes didn't pack that much of a punch, but then again, it takes a lot for me to laugh. However, that's acceptable because the humor doesn't resort to cheap gags or schoolyard puns, instead it relies on witty delivery.
Don't let the director credits fool you. This film may have been directed by the same man that gave us the mediocrity "Fired Up", but Gluck has vastly improved. "Easy A" is a wholly effective comedy because it relies on an enthralling script, solid character development, and a smooth pace. All the elements of a well-made film are here and for once in a blue moon, you can seal your brains on. Has there been a film that looks "copy-and-paste" but turns out to be the complete opposite and is worth every cent you spend? "Easy A" is a pretty good example of that. I recommend it.