Easy A

Overview

I have to admit that I was partially distracted during this film by the bedroom of the main character, Olive (Emma Stone). It was spectacular. How come teenagers in American films always seem to have awesome bedrooms that have huge, beautiful French windows looking out onto manicured lawns? And large desks and double beds? Don't get me wrong, the film was not so boring that I was too distracted by decor to know what was going on, far from it in fact.

Loosely based on the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, Easy A explores the issues of puritanical public opinion judging the lives of others on the basis of rumours without ever asking for the truth. Olive has told a small white lie about having a weekend fling and losing her virginity to a college boy, with the rumour soon spreading around school. To add to her new reputation, a collection of sorrowful nerds ask her to repeat the favour, telling lies about their own small indiscretions with the witty redhead in order to gain a modicum of popularity. As the rumours grow and take on lives of their own, Olive begins to be persecuted by her fellow students, particularly the school's young Christian group, who have all promised to save themselves till marriage.

So, back to the bedroom. It was so unrealistic. No teenager ever had such an astounding living space. And only in American teen films and television series are parents as witty, cool and laidback with their incredibly verbose children. But despite all these little qualms, this film is a serious laugh. The cinema was filled with raucous laughter despite the majority of the audience almost assuredly not being part of the target audience of 16-year-olds. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are perfectly matched as Olive's parents, letting their comic sides run wild. Amanda Bynes is actually not a bad little actor, despite some of her less-than-impressive previous film dalliances. And of course, this is the first movie I've ever seen where there's a character called Rhiannon.

The bad guys don't really learn anything, the good guys get what they want and it all ends nice and happily, but you really can forgive any of those cliches as it is a truly funny film that promises to impress even the most decor-distracted in the audience.