Easy A, a comedy produced by Will Gluck, can be seen as a modern day version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, but with a twist. Olive Pendergast (Emma Stone) is not your average teenage girl. She gives no care to popularity and goes with the flow of life. Being ignored was something she was used to, but never did it get her down.
Olive soon sees her life begin to change after she tells her friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka), a little lie about losing her virginity. It becomes an even bigger deal when Olive’s gay friend asks her to pretend to sleep with him to make the school think that he is straight, and she decided to help out. As the rumors of Olive’s interesting night spreads, the other students around her begin to notice her. At first, Olive likes and accepts the attention/popularity. Unpopular boys start to approach her asking if she would do the same for them as she did for her other friend. Olive agrees, solely to make the lives of others better. Even though Olive has all the right intentions, things get too out of hand and Olive is now the opposite of what she used to be. People hate her and she is blamed for things she didn’t do. Olive is looked down upon and is labeled the class whore. She is shunned by her peers and is forced to fix her mistakes. Here, Olive’s life begins to parallel the life of Hester Prynne, the main character in Hawthorne’s novel, which also happens to be the book she is reading for English class. If you haven’t read the book, Hester Prynne is a woman who commits adultery and is forced to endure the consequences. Society looks at her as an improper woman and a whore, just like how the school sees Olive. In the novel, Hester wears an “A” on her clothing, notifying everyone of her sin. Olive also does this around school. Like the happy ending that comes with The Scarlet Letter, you cannot help but wish that Olive has a happy ending of her own.
Filled with numerous amounts of jokes and an awesome cast, Easy A had me laughing hysterically and got me very into the movie. It apparently seemed to do the same for the audience. Although a very good movie, it may be inappropriate for younger children to watch. Other than that, I recommend this movie to all, especially if you want a good laugh!