AN A+ POCKETFULL OF SUNSHINE: a review of "Easy A"

"EASY A"
Written by Bert V. Royal
Directed by Will Gluck
**** (four stars)

I love Olive Penderghast!

Now dear readers, before anyone gathers the entirely wrong idea as to the full meaning of that initial statement, please allow me to spend some time explaining to you.

Olive Penderghast is an intelligent, empathetic, wonderfully witty, entirely and charmingly loquacious raven-haired, feline eyed, smoky voiced high school student unfortunately caught within the deeply tangled web of insinuation, hallway rumor and a simultaneously soaring and crushing campus reputation as a school ground sexpot. Olive Penderghast is also the central protagonist of Director Will Gluck’s “Easy A,” an equally intelligent, empathetic, wonderfully witty, entirely and charmingly loquacious film which to me, is the funniest, sharpest, most insightful film of its kind since Director Alexander Payne's “Election” (1999) and the brilliant Tina Fey scripted “Mean Girls” (2004). You know, I’m going to take a bold step and go even further. For my money, I think that “Easy A” is one of my favorite films of 2010. And you know…I am going to have to go even further than that last statement.

From the very bottom of my teen film heart of hearts, I think that “Easy A” is easily the BEST teen film I’ve seen in over 20 years. It is the best since a beloved period I have always thought of as “The Golden Age Of Teen Films,” a time which began with Director Amy Hecklering’s “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” (1982), concluded with Writer/Director Cameron Crowe’s beautiful “Say Anything…” (1989) and nestled the revolutionary work of John Hughes smack dab in the middle. Yes, this is exemplary praise from me. Yet, it is not coming from a place of hyperbole, empty hype and it is definitely no lie. “Easy A” is of that same caliber, class and pedigree. Its spirit is pure, completely open-hearted and contains a star-making performance from the raven-haired, feline eyed, smoky voiced Emma Stone as Olive. The wise, hilarious sunshine soul of “Easy A” just cannot be denied and I hope all you reading will take a chance and see this absolutely terrific film.

Set in Ojai, California, we meet Olive Penderghast, an independent, somewhat solitary and unknown student. As she explains, in her periodic addresses to the world via her computer and newly formed website, if Google Earth were to make a search of her high school, she would not be located at all. At the beginning of her tale, Olive is growing weary of her proudly voluptuous, trash talking, obnoxiously abrasive best friend Rhiannon Abernathy (Aly Michalka) and declines her invitation for a weekend with her family. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Olive invents the initial white lie that will eventually snowball into her future catastrophe…

Olive claims that she is planning to go on a date with a Community college student when in fact, she spends her weekend alone in her home with her dog and entertains herself with a musical greeting card sent by her Grandparents. By Monday at school, Rhiannon somehow corners Olive into admitting that she had lost her virginity over the weekend, another white lie that is overheard by the school’s unctuous and gossipy Evangelical leader Marianne Bryant (played by Amanda Bynes). Like that proverbial wildfire, the untrue rumor of Olive’s sexual tryst spreads, making her suddenly noticeable to the majority of the male student population, which at first, Olive secretly enjoys.

As the stories of Olive’s mythical sexual experience and prowess travels and transforms throughout the rumor mill, Brandon (Dan Byrd), a homosexual student being persecuted by classmates, privately approaches her. He asks Olive that if they devise a way for the student body to think that he is straight, then he will be spared from further torment. Feeling empathy, Olive agrees and the twosome engage in a staged and hysterically voluminous act of pretend copulation in a bedroom at a grand weekend house party. “Be prepared to live with the consequences,” Olive warns Brandon just before he enters a brave new high school world. Yet, those words could not be any more prophetic.

New rumors of Olive’s promiscuity continue to roar throughout the school, thus transforming her reputation from a curiosity to the class slut. Olive, in an act of rebellion and inspired by her English class’ reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, she takes to wearing what her parents (the amazing Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson) refer to as “high class stripper clothing” embroidered with an “A” upon her breast. She also begins a lucrative business by accepting hefty store gift cards from lusty sad sack boys wanting to increase their own high school reputations while simultaneously decreasing her own. Her actions catch the concerned attention of Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church) her favorite teacher, his wife and school Guidance Counselor (Lisa Kudrow), as well as Rhiannon’s jealousy at Olive’s newfound popularity and finally, the rage and inevitable persecution by Marianne and Evangelical sect.

As the rumor spirals completely out of control, causing nearly irreparable damages to a variety of characters, Olive is confronted with the hard questions and consequences concerning her sense of self-worth and responsibility to herself and others. Hoping to clear the air and eradicate the entire disaster her life and her high school has become, Olive hatches a final plot to reclaim her life on her own terms…and if she finally catches the attention of her long-standing crush, the handsome Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley), then that would most certainly be a bonus.

“Easy A” is an unabashed joyride of a movie that is filled with terrific performances from the entire cast and all anchored by the beguiling and luminous work by Emma Stone. It is a grand slam home run of a performance, the kind where you can witness the moment a star is born.

Director Will Gluck keeps all of the material fresh, unpredictable, inventive, and moving along at a breezy, brisk pace. He also masters the task of finding the correct tone throughout the film, which does allow some dark clouds to appropriately sift into the sunshine from time to time. For all of the heightened comic situations, “Easy A” has a take on teenagers and sexuality that is healthier, more realistic, authentic, honest and perceptive than even one moment on ABC Family’s pious and unintentionally hilarious series, “The Secret Life Of The American Teenager.”

As I rewind back to that aforementioned “Golden Age of Teen Films” for a moment, I have to express that “Easy A” does contain several homages to the classic films of that era. Some are sly and subtle, some unashamedly blatant (Olive addressing the camera is an obvious tip of the hat to a certain Ferris Bueller, for instance) and always, always respectfully handled with celebration and reverence. It is a film unafraid of the “Hughesesque” grand romantic gestures between teenagers while it also loads the screenplay, from top to bottom, with the same kind of razor sharp, quickly delivered, crackling, verbose, literate dialogue that was a Hughes trademark. But please note that this film is not an uninspired copycat. It has a dynamic voice all its own and here is where I turn my high praise to Bert V. Royal for his excellent screenplay. I have never heard of Bert V. Royal and according to the Internet Movie Database, “Easy A” is his debut screenplay, a script that was long rumored to be a hot Hollywood commodity. Whether that tale is rumor or not, what a soaring debut this is for Royal and I sincerely hope he is able to write more and more and more! Yet for now, we have this film and as a masterstroke, his creation of the character of Olive Penderghast.

I would like for all of you to take a moment and remember the teen films of the 1980s in particular and the young women who embodied the now classic characters. I will always love Ione Skye as Diane Court in “Say Anything…” Or Elisabeth Shue as the resourceful babysitter Chris Parker in Director Chris Columbus’ “Adventures In Babysitting” (1986). Or any of John Hughes’ high school heroines portrayed by Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and a personal favorite, Mary Stuart Masterson as Watts the Drummer Girl in “Some Kind Of Wonderful” (1987). For me, Olive Penderghast stands as tall as any of those characters through her tenacity, independence, and endless wit, certainly. But, most importantly for her kindness, the hugeness of her heart and her ability to completely own her mistakes. And in this age where sheer and utter stupidity is rewarded and celebrated, what a pleasure to find a teenage heroine so well versed, well read and just so damn smart! Olive Penderghast is a 21st century high school heroine to root for, cherish and truth be told, she more than gives that insipid, petulant, narcissistic dishrag Bella Swan a run for her money.

Deepest of all, and through the character of Olive, is a very clever subtext that richly layers every single moment of “Easy A.” It is a subtext that stands at the heart of the entire teen film genre and that, my dear readers, is the emerging sexuality of teenage girls. Historically, the teen film genre is a male driven field where females seldom drive the story and are habitually exploited and misrepresented to varying degrees. And when the female’s sexuality is brought onto the playing field, in comedies or even the horrific slasher films, it is always used as a reactionary tool for the males to pursue, conquer, screw and dismember.

It seems to me, that at its core, “Easy A” is a satire completely about a young girl’s emerging sexuality and the frenzy it places upon an entire community. While Olive’s immense quandary is ultimately a tangled web of her own initially unintentional making, her rise and fall seems to solely rest in the hands and unfair perceptions of everyone around her. Olive’s sexuality or lack thereof is something nearly all of the characters feel they have the right to claim, own, define and judge while all of the boys see their collective standings ascend without question. It is during this stage of the story where Olive is not only confronted with the dark side of celebrity, she finds that invisible line where self-promotion becomes prostitution and how her soul is compromised once that line is crossed. (Much like Tom Cruise's Wayfarer sunglasses wearing, Princeton hopeful turned pimp character of Joel Goodson in 1983's "Risky Business": another classic era movie reference "Easy A" manages to honor.)

Olive’s recovery of her identity is based in her systematic rectification of something that was always and only hers to claim, own, define and judge in the first place and her final monologue expresses her sentiments simply, succinctly, eloquently and without one note of preachiness. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her (don’t worry, I didn’t) and I applaud this film for getting to the heart of an entire film genre with such skill and playfulness.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of seeing three films that have more than made up for the dismal beginning of this cinematic year: the comedy-drama “Get Low,” Ben Affleck’s piercing Boston crime epic, “The Town” and now this film, which I was indeed skeptical about but have championed the highest. I truly hope you go out and see this movie and take to it as enthusiastically as I did. “Easy A” is a film that made smile, smile and smile some more as I laughed heartedly throughout and I hope that you have that same reaction.

And you know, I cannot help but to think that if there is an afterlife and if there are movie theaters within that afterlife, I sincerely hope that John Hughes is smiling.