"…If You Hear A Rumour That I Have Chlamydia…Just Ignore It…""Easy-A" is a superb, witty and incredibly fresh coming-of-age flick with a razor-sharp script.
Olive Penderghast is an intelligent twenty-something woman (Emma Stone). Olive is articulate, grounded and quick with a retort - and definitely not a loose woman who goes with any boy behind the bike shed. In fact her virginity is still 'secretly' intact. Her best friend however is Marianne who hasn't had any part of her anatomy intact for quite some time (a scene-stealing part for Alison Michalka). Marianne has temptress hair, an ample bosom and tight blouses that show you her credentials in no uncertain terms. Possessed of a trashy mouth and practically the campus trollop, Marianne can't wait for her friend Olive to lose her cherry. So in an attempt to alleviate her constant vocal pressurizing, Olive tells Marianne that she has done 'it' at the weekend. She gives Marianne all the necessary details. Big mistake...
Next day, Olive's gay friend Brandon (Dan Byrd) hears the delicious news and is thrilled. He spots an opportunity. Brandon can't stand the pretence any more and asks Olive (in her new found waywardness) to fake making out with him so he can be accepted by all the fit hetro guys in collage. Olive agrees because she feels for Brandon. They stage a hysterically funny make out scene in a bedroom at a party with everyone listening at the door. He emerges as the male stud and hero to the lads. Soon the rumour mill starts and via the net and mobile phones, Olive attains a reputation as sleep-around-central. But then her goer status escalates, bringing down the religious nuts on her immoral ass (a great performance by Amanda Bynes) which causes Olive all sorts of grief - including even losing Todd (Penn Badgley) her childhood pal and real love. So what started out as a harmless joke in a toilet and a helping hand given to a friend in need - turns into a cottage industry that escalates out of control. It's very funny, spunky and consistently entertaining.
To hold your own as a lead in something like "Easy-A" takes real gumption and dare we say it - starpower - and Emma Stone has it. She is just gorgeous in this film - funny, playful and luminous in a way that an actress hasn't been in a very long time. It's a breakthrough part for her. Throw in a great supporting cast like Stanley Tucci (her father), Thomas Haden Church (her teacher), Patricia Clarkson (her mother), Lisa Kudrow (the collage councillor) and Malcolm McDowell (the collage Principal) to name but a few, genuinely cool jokes and one-liners and a jab or two at the tyrants who want to run our lives - and you have a winner on your hands.
The BLU RAY image is beautiful too - and there are some great extras with the cast and crew.
I loved "Easy-A" - it's young, it's funny, it's ballsy and sexy too.
Do yourself a favour and put it high on your rental/to buy list.
