Easy A

Rating:

A lot of people are talking about a girl named Olive Penderghast.  This is because they think she lost her virginity while still at high school. Olive knows this rumor is not true because she (unintentionally) started it. She never wanted to cause the entire student body of East Ojai to create a false image of her, but now that it has happened, how will Olive handle it?

“Easy A” is a comedy about reputation, gossip, and the benefits and consequences of popularity. This is common in most teen flicks, but Easy A takes it on with much wit, humor, and a heroine that is very much lovable. Olive Penderghast seems to be the type of friend that everyone needs; one who is conscious of people and is ready to adapt. She is a smart and pleasant person, but the rumor at school has caused the students to think otherwise. It is at home where her reputation remains undamaged.

This is where we are introduced to Olive’s parents, Dill and Rosemary. The two are able to remain calm (sorta) while the reputation of Olive crumbles among her high school peers. They are calm not because they are unaware idiots, but because they are wise. Dill and Rosemary, always making their availability felt, trusts their daughter to do the right thing. It’s refreshing to see a teen comedy where the heroine actually has a strong, honest and mirthful relationship with her parents, which results to some of the movie’s biggest laughs.

“Easy A” capitalizes from its premise, providing not only great entertainment, but relevant thoughts for the youth. Sometimes, in the adolescent life, what people think you’re doing is just about as important as what you’re actually doing. Let’s take a look at Olive. People think she is a whore, but in truth, she is not. Her false statement has quickly transformed into the image people identify her with. The students body’s false thinking of her may not be who she is, but her lie that caused that thinking tells her something about her own thoughts, which in some way could be true to most of us.

Olive is a fascinating young woman, and it is a good thing that the movie makes the most of her character. “Easy A” doesn’t spend much time on the required romance between The Guy and The Girl. Rather, we witness Olive’s relationships with adults through her parents, favorite teacher, and guidance counselor. When the job of a school employee is threatened, we see a rare and engaging maturity in Olive that isn’t found in the common, dumb teenage comedies of today.

And, of course, “Easy A” could not have been as effective as it was without the actress who played Olive. I am sure that, after this performance, a lot of people will be talking about a girl named Emma Stone.