Easy A

"The rumors of my promiscuity have been greatly exaggerated."

Quirky teen Olive (Stone) is a good student that tends to fade into the background.  But one little lie later and she is the talk of the school.  Enjoying the attention, she agrees to a fake fling with friend Brandon (Byrd) who is being bullied.  After their public fling, Olive is labeled as a slut and becomes the target of the school’s conservation Christian group, led by Marianne (Bynes).

Their English class, led by Mr. Griffith (Haden Church), is reading “The Scarlet Letter,” which leads Olive to rethink her overall reputation.  She buys a new wardrobe and sews a red ‘A’ on every top.  While half the school thinks she is sleeping around, the other half are bribing her to lie about having a relationship to promote their school status.  Her parents (Clarkson & Tucci) are supportive, but don’t know about her reputation.  With her childhood crush, the school mascot, Woodchuck Todd (Badgley), waiting in the wings, what will Olive choose popularity or self-esteem?

Stone's Olive, is funny and smart.  She actually knows classic literature, she is the only person in class to actually read "The Scarlet Letter" and not just reference the 1995 film version.  This is the type of character that works best for Stone.  After memorable, scene stealing turns in "The House Bunny" and "Zombieland," Stone has proved she can do comedy and has leading lady potential.

The cast has great dialogue and chemistry.  Tucci and Clarkson standout as Olive's eccentric parents.  Their scenes are consistently funny and memorable.  The teenage guys, Badgley and Byrd made the jump from TV ("Gossip Girls" and "Cougar Town" respectively), and work well in their roles.

A funny film, but not appropriate for children.  Looking forward to seeing Stone headlining more comedy films and seeing where her career goes from here.

Easy A (2010) 92 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen sexuality, language and some drug material.

Director: Will Gluck

Starring: Emma Stone as Olive

Penn Badgley as Woodchuck Todd

Amanda Bynes as Marianne

Dan Byrd as Brandon

Thomas Hayden Church as Mr. Griffith

Patricia Clarkson as Rosemary

Cam Gigandet as Micah

Lisa Kudrow as Mrs. Griffith

Malcolm McDowell as Principal Gibbons

Stanley Tucci as Dill