Amusing yet not quite satisfactory (B- at best)

Rating: 6/10 (17 September 2010)

Easy A is probably a proud moment for Emma Stone. As far as I understand, this is her first staring role, and it gives her a chance to stretch her comedic legs. Though not terrific, she does her job. The movie as a whole does not, I'm afraid to say.
The mind that though up Easy A is arguably clever, but the mind (or minds) which transfered it to the screen are not as much so. This high school comedy is burdened by a poor screenplay, and a lack of consistent humour. It starts off strong but the middle section is overlong, and tedious, and the ending is rushed and not nearly as clever as was probably intended. Easy A makes you smile, and sometimes makes you laugh, but you come away from it somewhat unsatisfied.
In an attempt to avoid looking like a generic teen comedy, Easy A frequently winks at itself. It acknowledges its source material; Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter. Self-reflexive though it may be in parts, this movie still feels fairly derivative. The key is always in the details. One of the more annoying clichés in this genre (also seen here) is the utter incredibility of the adult characters. Easy A is quite mean spirited towards all the parents and teachers in the movie, and it doesn't really add to the comedic value. Stanley Tucci gets a few good one liners, but his delivery is lame. The same is true of Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm Mcdowell, and a few others.
Easy A, is a movie that could use a reworking. It's cute, but it's not quite funny enough to recommend as a comedy. It may work more effectively as a date movie.