'Easy A'

'Easy A' (PG-13) (3 1/2 stars)

Writer: Bert V. Royal
Director: Will Gluck
Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Aly Michalka, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Cam Gigandet, Amanda Bynes, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci

"Easy A" is a smart and funny gem of a movie that surprises us with it's wit and contains a very special breakout performance. This is a high school movie that is a homage to John Hughes and he would be proud. This is the best high school movie I have seen in many years. It should be mentioned along with movies like "Risky Business", "16 Candles", "Breakfast Club" and "My Bodyguard", very classic company. When most teen movies are insipid and stupid, "Easy A" is real and smart and engaging. It stars Emma Stone who is a complete delight in a very strong comic performance that is good enough to get a Snavely Award nomination. The movie tells the story of Olive who is very pretty but is not one of the more popular girls in school but I would have fallen in love with her. Her best friend is more of the classic blond, busty popular girl. Emma Stone is so good as Olive with a great charm, sexiness, wit and beauty. It is one of the best performances ever in any teen movie. This movie should make her a star and if it doesn't it would be a great disservice. Emma made a huge impression in "Superbad" and she stood out in the awesome "Zombieland". Here she is funny and sexy and has a complete control of her performance and a great screen presence. Olive starts a false rumor that she had dated a guy and lost her virginity to him. When she helps a gay friend by pretending to have sex with him then the rumors spread faster and get bigger. Olive has a great family and some of the coolest parents ever on screen. They are played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson and they are both very funny and a delight. The dialogue exchange between them and Stone are treasures and very funny and witty. Olive starts to dress a little more provocatively and pretends to sleep with others to keep the lie going.

What makes this movie fresher and better than the latest teen movies is that it has real people, knows how teens talk and gives a great message without being cloying. The plot is not dumbed down and is actually complicated enough to make you think. It doesn't have any stale cliches and actually is original and unpredictable. Sure we know where some of this is heading but it is done in a more intelligent way. There are no cheap gags, no vulgar toilet humor and it doesn't talk down to it's audience. Actually adults might like this as much for a lot of the dialogue is great in an old screwball, classic comedy way. This actually is in the style of writing as John Hughes "Ferris Buehler's Day Off". The movie even mentions John Hughes and all his wonderful movies. Olive even sings in the shower like Ferris and she also sings a music number like Ferris and sites that scene as being unnecessary but fun. The movie plays with the teen movie conventions and turns them inside out. There is also great support by Penn Badgley (much better than his "Stepfather" gig), Aly Michalka and two very good performances by Thomas Haden Church as Olive's favorite teacher and Lisa Kudrow as a guidance counsellor. Lisa Kudrow is very good here and I wonder why she hasn't been offered a great comedy starring role because she has wonderful comic timing. The movie is made more special by Emma Stone who could have a great career ahead of her as a romantic or comic leading lady. She has a unique and original look and she is sexy and funny. Dare I mention she has the gift of comedy that a younger Lucille Ball had. Hollywood could have a new special line of comedies building on Stone's charm. Olive tells her story on a web cast to the audience and at one point she asks us if we are still with her. Yes Emma we are still with you, we are definitely still with you!

P.S. I love how "Easy A" pays a sweet and heartfelt homage to John Hughes movies. It mentions that teen movies these days don't have the heart and romantic charm of his movies even though they might be dated. True romance though can never be dated in my eyes.