Easy A (a review)

         Throughout the 2010 film Easy A director Will Gluck hides oranges in almost every scene in an attempt to add an artistic element to the flick. Besides the creative element of hidden oranges, the movie, starring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley, is a loose interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The parallels the writer Bert Royal draws between, the film's protagonist, Olive Pendergast (Stone) and Hester Prynne create a modern spin on the classic novel. Incredibly humorous in all of it's wit, with a message that is relatable to anyone who has attended high school, and characters magnificently developed by their actors, Easy A will keep a grin on your face for the entire 92 minute run time.

         The parallels to the Scarlet Letter begin when Olive tells a white lie that is over heard by Marianne Bryan (Amanda Bynes), a religious club leader at the school. Although Olive didn’t commit adultery, members of the club quickly judge Olive when one of them suggests that she embroider a red A on her wardrobe, and others call her a "dirty skank". At that point Olive decides that she will be "the dirtiest skank they'd ever seen", she'd give them what they wanted, what they had already made her with their lies. Dressing more promiscuously and stitching a red A to her shirts, Olive stirs even more rumors at her school and is figuratively placed on a platform in the middle of town much like Hester Prynne. The comparisons between Olive and Hester continue as the movie goes on. On multiple occasions Olive references Hawthorne's work and even uses it as an excuse when her teacher questions her wardrobe change. Olive eventually seeks help from religious leaders only to be sent running so fast in the opposite direction that she trips and knocks out the contents of her purse, including an orange. Much like Hester, there is no help to be had for Olive.

         What truly makes the film is Stone’s delivery of her character. She accurately portrays Olive as the smart, well rounded, wise beyond her years, girl that Royal wrote her to be. The quarks that shine through Olive’s webcam narrations are more than enough to carry the film on their own. She often pokes fun of the plot itself when she says things like “I can assure you this isn’t one of those tales,” and “isn’t that always the way, the books you read in class seem to have some strong connection with whatever anxty adolescent drama that is going on?” She laughs at the way typical high school students are, behaviors we all know to be true, from the ridiculous songs we enjoy to the fact that lies spread more quickly than truth.

         Because Olive is considerably more deep than the average high school student, the portrayal of these stereotypes is left to the supporting actors of the film, Aly Michalka and Amanda Bynes. Michalka plays Olive’s best friend Rhiannon who is less concerned about her fowl mouth then her breast size. Bynes plays Marianne, the religious zealot and antagonistic mean girl of the film. Especially to my generation, who grew up watching Michalka play the clean cut all-American girl on the Disney Channel and Bynes playing the comical good girl in multiple pre-teen favorites, it is particularly entertaining to see them grow up with us and move on to new images and diverse acting roles.

         With a display of oranges on the counter Oliver sits with her hysterical parents and younger brother for dinner and movie nights throughout the movie. Her parents, played by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci are another example of brilliant character development seen throughout Easy A. Their family lifestyle is seamlessly believable; the mannerisms Olive’s parents posses make it plain to see why she is so different from her peers. Throughout the film they appear in Olive’s room to say something comical about the “sexual orientation of her opposite sex, sex partner” or when Clarkson says things like “any friend of Olive’s is a friend of our daughter’s”. Second only to the webcam narrations, these two characters are my favorite aspect of this movie.

         When I saw Easy A with a friend in theaters we laughed so hard we cried and even returned to see it two more times. However, many of the things we both enjoyed in the film have to do with the fact that we were familiar with all of the actors and enjoyed seeing them in different roles. All though I stand by my belief that there is something for everyone in this movie, it was my experience that my male counterparts didn’t enjoy it quite as much. Perhaps it is because they didn’t grow up watching the female leads, because Michalka and Bynes primarily starred in films aimed at pre-teen girls. That being said, you should go in with an open mind because Easy A is worth the ten-dollar admission price.

         Filmed in Ojai, California, a predominant orange distributary in the United States, Easy A is a modern take on Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Not only is this film more relatable to today’s teenager than the classic novel, it is also incredibly entertaining. Stone’s character developments and the work of her co-stars make the plot especially engaging in addition to the fact that it employs the viewer to care about the out come of the situations presented. Though some may tire of the word play and stereotypical scenarios, others may see the small elements, as I did, that add up to create an entertaining film from start to finish.