my life is not an eighties movie. but sometimes it's pretty great.

Friday, September 17, 2010 |

I had an amazing night last night. My friend Greta and I went to a free screening of Easy A (thanks twitter!) in Chinatown, and then after the movie we got crepes and ate Nutella, banana and strawberry goodness while we walked back to the Metro. Seriously? YUM. Of course, the night wouldn’t have been nearly as fun if Easy A hadn’t been really great entertainment. Simply put? It rocked. And so, while I don’t usually give films the ‘review’ treatment, I’m going to be a fangirl and tell you how much I liked it. Brace yourselves.


After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school - until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.


A clever, funny, fast-paced comedy that will reach beyond its 'target' teen audience, Easy A was an A+ in my book. Emma Stone plays Olive, the girl with the ‘A’ on her chest. I know and love Emma from Zombieland, where she pulled off scared-awesome-harda$$ very well. In this flick she’s part of a great family, but off the radar as far as boys and high school popularity go. And then things get interesting…


Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, who play the parents of Emma Stone's character, were sparkling, witty, the parents-you-always-wanted-until-they-do-something-ridiculously-embarrassing (oh wait, those ARE my parents!), and my absolute favorite part of the film. Best scene? Tucci goes to Stone's room to check on her, and tells here that's there's no judgment (referring to her supposed gay boyfriend), that he went through a gay phase too. That everyone does. That line had the whole audience dying.


As we were walking out of the theater, Greta mentioned that the film was kind of like Mean Girls. I agree to a certain extent. It’s funny, tightly written, and there are some highly talented actors attached to the project. It also takes the form of a confession, and the protagonist goes from obscurity to popularity via the high school rumor mill. But while both films share those connections, I felt more satisfied at the end of Easy A. I think it’s because the film has a narrower vision. It’s essentially the story of one girl, not a group of girls. The focus isn’t as wide and the resolution is believable because it all plays out on a smaller stage.


Since this is a real review, I have to mention what I didn’t like about the film (answer: not much). BUT…I’ll admit that I hated the portrayal of the ‘bad guys.’ Amanda Bynes, you were SO over the top. I couldn’t take the Christians seriously as judgmental, close-minded crazies (thank goodness on that point!) because it went beyond belief. I mean, I know that there are fanatics in any group of people, but this version seemed as if [insert name of talk show host here] were inhabiting the body of a teenage girl. Movies about teens aren’t known for their subtlety, but that was one point where this story could have dialed it down a notch. Again – it didn’t take away from my essential enjoyment of the film.


So, what does this add up to? Cute, funny, not completely clichéd story + terrific performances + an amazing musical score = the best night I've had in a while. Oh, and Penn Badgley's abs in blue paint didn't hurt either.


Recommended for: teens, their parents (yikes!), anyone who felt a bit like an outsider in high school, and anyone who didn’t too. This is all around good fun for (almost) all ages. You know, PG-13 and up sort of ages. Go see it! You’ll laugh at LEAST three times. I promise.

12 comments:

Nely said...

I am dying to see this movie. I recently say Emma Stone on Jimmy Kimmel and the clips they gave of the movie were hysterical. Thanks for hyping me up even more to see it. :)

Natalie W said...

Your snack sounds so good! I will definitely have to see this one. Sounds like my kind of movie :0)
Natalie

Tales of Whimsy said...

I am totally itching to see this one with my sister/bff. Thanks for the honest review :D

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

i definitely want to see this movie

Rhiannon Hart said...

I saw the preview of this when I went to see Tomorrow When the War Began and it looks so freaking fun. Glad you loved it. And I'm glad it's as tightly written as mean girls. Love that film.

vvb32 reads said...

sounds cute and fun! on my watch list.
nutella is the best-yummm.

Anonymous said...

I saw this last night as well and really loved it.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

This sounds like a fun movie - I want to see it!

Emilyandherlittlepinknotes said...

you are right teenage movies aren't known for subtlety but if they make me laugh I don't care, I love Mean Girls...I will definitely be watching this one

Rabid Fox said...

This movie looks so good. Glad you enjoyed it, as I imagine I will too. I have yet to see Emma Stone in a movie that I didn't really like.

Book Soulmates said...

I cannot wait to see this!! I looks hilarious and I love Emma Stone :)

Also, I hope you don't mind a little self-promoting! I did a book review VLOG for Gail Carriger's "Blameless". If you have 8 minutes to spare, please check it out and let me know what you think :)

Thanks!
♥Isalys

Meg @ write meg! said...

Ooh, definitely want to catch "Easy A"! Sounds really funny and cute, and I'm digging the literary reference to The Scarlet Letter right away. Thanks for a fun review!

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