Easy A (2010)

When I find myself at 2 am in a dark spiral of movie clips on YouTube, I often end up at the near-infamous “Pocket full of sunshine” clip from Easy-A that has long been a staple piece of Emma Stone’s career. Yet, both Easy-A and Emma Stone deserve a lot more credit than this one scene allows. Easy A depicts the trials and tribulations of young people dealing with the gossip mill that is school whilst Emma Stone gives a charming, hilarious performance that really draws you into the film.

Stone's performance as the previously unknown Olive Pendergast who becomes the talk of the school when a small lie rapidly gets out of hand, is exceptional. The delivery of her lines is sharp and witty whilst allowing for a more earnest side to her character, you can't help but feel empathy towards her character regardless of her somewhat self-destructive behaviour. Her performance is only magnified by scenes with her ‘parents’, Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are kind, supportive yet still hilariously and realistic; a combination that is something of a rarity in most teen films.

The storyline of the film also begins to brilliantly capture the gossip culture experienced by teenagers in school. The use of the book ‘The Scarlet Letter’ in the story, the book that the film is loosely based off, also keeps reminding you of the ‘high school’ nature of the film. All students know the feeling of getting heavily involved in a text in English class so revolving the film around this as a centre-piece was a smart move. It highlights that there is still education going on at this school, something that is also often forgotten about in a significant number of high school films. The film is complimented by the music choices and soundtrack it utilises. The early noughties pop gives some scenes a youthful feel, whilst on-the-nose choices elsewhere with classic high-school-movie songs fit the tone perfectly.

The message of the film is perhaps the only let down for me. The morales of the film are messily portrayed with a few ideas shared but not fully implemented. There are efforts at opening a dialogue about the differing attitudes towards male and female sexuality in society but these remain half-hearted and are never quite fulfilled. Similarly, attempts at discussing the issues with gossiping and judgement, especially amongst young people, are present but ever-so-slightly miss the mark of having a lasting and meaningful impact.

Overall, Easy-A is wild. Emma Stone's hilarious yet warm performance holds the film together with an amusing performance by her supporting cast. The plot and laugh out loud comedy gives you room to forgive the somewhat half-hearted attempts at creating a lasting message.