Movies to Consider: Easy A

Wow. What a fantastic feast of sarcasm, politics, and Emma Stone in lingerie. (Not bad.)

This movie could be the next generation's Clueless. They need one desperately, because Mean Girls is taken.
Emma Stone plays Olive Penderghast, a simple, smart, and secretly sweet high school who is (admittedly so) a cliche. When her best friend assumes she lost her virginity on a faux date with a college guy, she is amazed at how quickly the rumors fly--and how overnight she is more appealing to the boys in her school. So when a geeky gay boy who's not ready to come out of the closet offers to pay her to pretend have sex with him, in order to boost his popularity--she agrees. This leads to a whole slew of other boys paying her (in Auto Zone and Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift cards) to fake have sex with them.

It, of course, turns sour, when she realizes the attention she is claiming is because everyone thinks she's a hot mess of a slut. Since they are studying The Scarlet Letter in English, she pins a red "A" to her chest each day to parallel Hester's punishment for adultery.

It was witty, of course--Olive says phrases in the same deadpan tone that Reilly answers the phone in--but I didn't expect it to be full of heart. I loved Olive, loved her motives, loved her thought processes, and since I couldn't watch a movie without analyzing it half to death, the hidden messages and themes are listed here.

--The movie had commentary on religion and religious nuts. Amanda Bynes plays the stuck-up Jesus freak out to "save" Olive (and by "save," I mean ostracize her unless she conforms to her strict Christian code of conduct). Sound familiar?

--I loved that Olive was a smart, geeky girl--but she wasn't dressed in the stereotypical over-sized sweater, with glasses. She actually knew how to curl her hair, applied the basics of makeup, and defied movie cliches. Refreshing.

--Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson were AMAZING as Olive's parents. Their approach makes me believe I can handle teenagers someday. (Lies! Foolish girl, naive parent of an infant!)

--Lots of social commentary on how boys and men can sleep around casually without the fear of being called a SLUT. Casual sex makes a man a man, but makes a girl shameful and harlot-comparable.

--This movie also showcased the terrifying reality of modern high school students being able to spread rumors within in a matter of seconds, thanks to Webcams, text messaging, and Facebook apps. "Your generation wants to record every thought," says the English teacher. "Who gives a shit?"

Overall, however, what I thought the movie emphasized that was fantastic was that it's no one's business whether you still have your "v card" or not. It's not the church's business. It's not your peers' business. It's not your best friend's business, though she should be caring and understanding when you speak about it--not just because she's your best friend, but because girls should support other girls through life-changing decisions like when to have sex.

Go see it. You must. Wear your Costco pants.