Album Reviews
Movie Reviews
Past Movies
Movie Resources
Concert Reviews
Book Reviews

Top 10
Contact Us

Peer pressure. No one is immune from it. Some do the pressing and some feel the press. High School is no longer an education process to prepare you for college and the future but instead a right of passage in which you either survive or perish. It is all about the reputation; being with the in crowd or just ducking your head and making it through unscathed. The new teen comedy Easy A takes a witty and edgy look at one girls attempt to lie her way into being noticed. 

Olive (Emma Stone) is a good student. Always tows the line, never causes turmoil, and has her head firmly planted on her virginal shoulders. She is the girl that you never notice. Not plain but not stunning. Cute and quiet. When she creates a scandalous lie about herself to avoid her best friends barrage of questions she finds her popularity and pocketbook increasing by the minute. Ultimately this popularity also brings much ridicule from certain students; mainly the bible toting Marianne (Amanda Bynes) and her moral mob. But the unpopular guys soon learn that they can be cool as well simply by paying her to pretend they went all the way.

This film is funny, witty and plays up both sides of the purity agenda to the max. Stone is an incredibly talented young actress and brings much depth to Olive’s character. She plays it smart which is very important in a role like this. Bynes goes way over the top with her role as the hypocritical Christian peer. This too is a smart move as it makes the dynamic that much more ludicrous. Art imitates life and I am sure that the Marianne’s of the world sadly exist. Amanda does a good job of making extreme fun of them while getting the point across that they are way out of line. 

Olive’s parents are played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. These two are splendid and when all three are in a scene together the rapid fire wit and genuine family love is so genuine, realistic and believable. Those are some of the best scenes in the film. They show that unconditional parental love and understanding far outweighs any sort of lie, rumor or High School drama. Sure Olive has a reputation that all parents would rather their kid avoid. But in the end the truth is all that really matters. 

Easy A is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen sexuality, language and some drug material. This is very surprising to me since the film is rampant with content that is not suitable for those under 17. Sure it is in the realm of sarcastic wit and light hearted laughter but the dialogue and themes are way too mature for your younger viewers. Parents should take strong caution with this one. Also the generation gap separates this film from the older crowd who will find it sad and silly at the same time. The 20 something’s of the world will probably love it simply since they can now be thankful they are out of the pressure cooker known as American High School. It gets 3 out of 5 Scarlett Letters.

Matt Mungle

Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.