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Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church ... see more see more... , Patricia Clarkson , Cam Gigandet , Lisa Kudrow , Malcolm McDowell , Alyson Michalka , Stanley Tucci , Fred Armisen , Juliette Goglia , Jake Sandvig , Morgan Rusler , Nikki Tyler-Flynn , Braeden Lemasters , Mahaley Hessam , Jameson Moss , Blake Hood , Bryce Clyde Jenkins , Neil Soni , Stacey Travis , Bonnie Burroughs , Eddie Applegate , Norma Michaels , Yolanda Snowball , Andrew Fleming , Johanna E. Braddy , David Gore , Lalaine , D'Anthony Wayne Palms , Ryan J. Parker , Rawson Marshall Thurber , Chris De Lorenzo , Jillian Johnston , Nancy Karr , Clay Black , Brad Etheridge , Michael Strauss , Lance Kerfuffle , Drew Koles , Max Crumm , Jeremiah Hu , Jessica Jann , Danni Katz , Jason Kropik

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is re-imagined as a contemporary high school comedy in this tale of a scheming student who plots to give her popularity a boost by painting herself the easiest... read more read more... lay in school. Like most high school kids, Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) just wants to be popular. So much so than when her best friend, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka), asks Olive how her weekend went, the bored teen decides to whip up a spicy white lie just to make things interesting. But that minor exaggeration begins to take on a life of its own when it reaches the ears of motor-mouth gossip Jesus freak Marianne (Amanda Bynes), and in no time the entire student body is abuzz over unassuming Olive's unrepentant weekend of debauchery. Of course not a word of it is true, but that doesn't stop everyone in school from talking, and an amused Olive from deciding to go with the flow. Playing the role of the hussy to the hilt, the girl who used to be invisible begins dressing provocatively and turning heads in the hallways. The students aren't the only ones taking notice, either; Olive's English teacher, Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church), is concerned that the kind of attention she's receiving isn't healthy for a developing girl, and his wife (Lisa Kudrow), the school guidance counselor, is in full agreement. The only people who seem remotely interested in the truth are Olive's trusting and open-minded parents (Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson). As Olive takes note of the parallels between her own situation and the plight of the Scarlet Letter heroine Hester Prynne, she realizes that she may be able to manipulate her newfound notoriety to give fellow classmate Brandon's (Dan Byrd) popularity a much-needed shot in the arm. Olive never thought her little game could possibly have any negative effect on anyone but herself, but when loose lips start sinking ships all around her, she realizes that it's high time for the truth to come out. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

75% liked it

106,468 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

176 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Will Gluck

Release Date: September 17, 2010

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (9,880)

  • jmanard52
    December 23, 2010
    jmanard52
    Emma Stone (Zombieland, Superbad) does a great job as Olive. Loved this movie reminded me of many of comedies of the 80's. The directors love of 80's high school flicks is abundantly clear and it shines through in a fun movie.
  • fb1033186916
    April 21, 2012
    fb1033186916
    Very funny and smart at the same time. Easy A benefits from the beautiful and talented rising star, Emma Stone, as well as from a neatly written script and plot. It's unique and clever execution gives off the the feel of 80's teen films that without it, there'd be no such genre.
  • paulkoh110
    February 8, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Seems too cliche to me. The constant looking back to 80's nostalgia film is just too much. Emma Stone is a sometimes unlikeable character while supporting roles from Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, and Stanley Tucci are constantly keeping the film from being mediocre.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    January 31, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A typical teen film that didn't leave any specific mark on me. Olive was not the type of protagonist (or antagonist) I can identify with. Obnoxious and annoying she kind of spoiled the story.
  • paulsandberg
    November 26, 2011
    paulsandberg
    What a refreshing, well penned film. Taking the well trodden teen angst high school film and poking fun at it while also telling a very interesting story, Easy A is one of the freshest films I've seen in quite some time. The tone is irreverent and upbeat, even while taking shot... read mores at the very genre the film fits into, thanks to the sure handed direction of Will Gluck and a fabulous script.

    The hidden message here is spouted towards the film's end by the always wonderful Patricia Clarkson (and what a joy to see she and Stanley Tucci doing comedy together - both so smooth and natural): "you'll get through this the same way I did, with irrepressible humor!"

    Clarkson delivers some real zingers in this. For example, when their adopted 10 year old proudly reports that he got a B+ on a spelling test, she deadpans "so what, everyone has spell check nowadays".

    There's also a fun scene when a schoolmate comes to visit the film's heroine, Olive (a star making performance by Emma Stone). The boy asks "Is Olive here?" and Clarkson replies "hmm, well, we have a whole jar of Olives in the fridge, want some?" Then she yells upstairs to Olive "Honey, you have a gentleman caller" which prompts Olive to put on her best Scarlett O'Hara/ Blanch DuBois and drawl "oh thank goodness, I was prepared to spend my dowry on drugs and alcohol."

    The story, in case you've been living with Osama Bin Laden until recently, involves a small lie that keeps getting bigger and bigger. Olive tells a persistent friend that she slept with a college student. This puts the heretofore anonymous Olive into the limelight as a trollop and fallen woman, hence the referral (nicely margined into the film) to Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter.

    While some of the high school characters remain cliché there remains a certain freshness and a bit of depth, especially in the case of the film's main protagonist, the prissy, god squadder (in yet another solid portrayal, this one by Amanda Bynes).

    There are countless references to other films, from paying homage to John Hughes, to poking fun at the recent Demi Moore adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, to a couple of hilarious references to Huck Finn (Olive at one point says that having a young boy run away with a large black man doesn't even happen in the movies - which of course is exactly what happens in THIS movie... so Olive throws out "my apologies to Mister Twain"). The film then goes a step further, late in the film showing the gay boy with his black boyfriend, watching the old black and white Huck Finn film. Huck and the "large black man" are on the raft and Huck says, "You must be tired, let me steer", to which the man replies "Thankee no, Mr. Huck, I's likes to steer"... which I'm sure was innocent enough at the time, but in this context, with two gays watching is hilariously suggestive.

    In this era of gross out humor, this script is a marvel, being funny with intelligence and panache, its take on modern teens all the more real because the film doesn't take itself seriously in its delivery.
  • murphmann93
    October 27, 2011
    murphmann93
    A really funny comedy. Really shows you what teenage life is like today. Emma Stone is hilarious and it helps that there are so many gorgeous men. A definite 10/10! A must see!
  • fb1576983399
    October 20, 2011
    fb1576983399
    This movie has its moments, but it has very few laughs. Despite some nice parts, the film is extremely coy, self aware and annoying. The writers and actors try so hard to make the characters likable that they become extremely unlikable.
  • dreamfaeries
    October 6, 2011
    dreamfaeries
    Absolutely love this movie. Smart and way funny with a little bit of sweetness. The cast was all-star and just an all around amazing movie. : )
  • jamers2011
    August 28, 2011
    jamers2011
    Surprisingly a great comedy!

    Great cast...Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow, Stanley Tucci, they're all hilarious in this film. I love the references to the old 80's teen movies, but I also love that it was able to keep it's origina... read morelity, too.

    Good movie, I recommend it!
  • spielberg00
    August 1, 2011
    spielberg00
    EASY A doesn't quite earn an 'A' (as in the best letter grade, not quite the meaning of the title), but it's still a very hilarious movie--I know it's redundant to say "very hilarious," but live with it. That's what it is. Emma Stone has a great major role as the sassy protagon... read moreist of the story, a take on THE SCARLET LETTER; Amanda Bynes also has a pretty good role as a snooty, Christian gossip girl; and Stanley Tucci has a fantastic minor role as the protagonist's father--well, he's always good, isn't he?

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Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
September 21, 2010
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

As for Emma Stone, she didn't have to win me over. She conquered me from the first A. Full Review

James Berardinelli
September 19, 2010
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Easy A belongs in the company of Election, Heathers, and Mean Girls -- all motion pictures that have outlived their theatrical lives because they have unique voices and use them to say something. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
September 17, 2010
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Any movie that quotes Mark Twain, excerpts John Hughes and employs a singeing British cussword normally unheard in PG-13 high school comedies - that's all right, too. More than all right. Easy A might... Full Review

Tom Long
September 17, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

An extremely witty, inventive, sweet and perceptive coming-out party for Emma Stone. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
September 17, 2010
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

A gem of a turn by Emma Stone as high school student Olive Penderghast makes this tale of a girl, gossip and independence a smart and self-aware hoot in the tradition of the teen flicks of the 1980s. Full Review

Stephanie Merry
September 17, 2010
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post

Enhanced by a wicked sense of humor, Will Gluck's movie does what Hughes did best, showcasing characters with personality who make you wish you had them on speed dial. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
September 17, 2010
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Stone shows great self-assurance and considerable comic chops in a tour-de-force that that could have seemed smarmy and/or silly in lesser hands. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
September 17, 2010
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

It catapults Emma Stone into a higher place reserved for American actors who can handle elevated language with casually dazzling aplomb. Full Review

Tom Maurstad
September 17, 2010
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News

It makes with the clever dialogue and it does present a world where a young woman takes charge and triumphs over peer pressure, but the filmmakers were either too lazy or inept to find a way to be hip... Full Review

Stephen Holden
September 17, 2010
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Whatever else it accomplishes, the sassy high school comedy Easy A commands attention for the irresistible presence of Emma Stone, playing a good girl who pretends to be bad. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Rhiannon: There's no such thing as a sexy George.
    • Dill: The family member of the week gets to pick the movie
    • Olive Penderghast: You get family member of the week every week.
    • Rosemary: And there's a reason for that.
    • Olive Penderghast: Yeah, you pick family member of the week!
    • Rosemary: Are you accusing me of nepotism?
    • Pastor: Just so we are clear, it's there. Right below our feet right above the Orient. It's there.
    • Rosemary: Olive, sweetie! There's a young manhere to see you. He said something about asking for your hand in marriage!
    • Olive Penderghast: Oh happy day Mama! I thought I was going to have to spend my dowry on booze and pills to numb the loneliness. A gentleman caller!
    • Dill: I am so happy with this decision!
    • Mr. Griffith: Rhiannon, Olive, go hit the book. They don't hit back. Also, hugs not drugs. Mess with the bull, get the horns. And any other cliches you can come up with.
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