Easy A

I sat with this one overnight for two reasons. One was to decide whether or not I was really going to award this thing the full boat. A part of me just couldn't believe the idea that this movie was flawless, and I tried a million different angles to find a flaw that was notable enough to consider. I did think of some tiny flaws -- the love interest doesn't get much screen time or chance to develop, I don't think Olive needed to apologize to Rhiannon, it's another case of casting a very attractive person as someone who is invisible and unpopular, and the dialogue can be a little TOO smart sometimes. But I wasn't really bothered by them. I had to hunt for them. And then I considered the movie itself and how it plays with certain tropes and gender roles, and if there was any consideration of giving it less than 5, that eliminated it right there. This movie's core concepts are so good, any nitpicky issue I have is ameliorated. So, the premise is a rumor spreads about Olive (Emma Stone) that she accidentally starts that she lost her virginity to a college guy. It takes her from nobody to notorious. But then a gay friend who is being persecuted for being gay asks her to pretend to sleep with him, so it'll get the homophobes off his back. Suddenly, she's got a new rep -- the girl who pretends to sleep with everyone in exchange for gift cards. But it also gets her ostracized from friends and made an enemy by the school's clique of Christian fundamentalists. Basically, it's The Scarlet Letter, only based on a lie that she leans into and profits from as long as it's convenient. Teen sex comedies have historically been dominated by the male point of view. Porky's names all of one important female character and treats the rest as life support systems for genitals. Revenge Of The Nerds glorifies criminal sexual assault and harassment. The Last American Virgin makes the object of the main character's affections a saint (even as he tries to just get laid with other women), only to turn her into an idiot at the end. American Pie ... do I even need to explain? Easy A flips all that on its head. Olive, the woman, is the central figure here. She has agency. She manipulates and takes advantage of desperate, horny, stupid young men who think even a pretend notch on their belt with the school's supposed super-slut will elevate them from their sad, humdrum lives. The boys here are rarely named, and are all portrayed as sad-sacks. There's no "oh, those boys" mentality here. They are losers, and their actions are that of a loser; Olive is in charge. Olive has weaponized sex and the gossip mill to her advantage (until it falls apart when has to use her to cover for a very big lie, and then she gets propositioned for real) and is exploiting those who would otherwise seek to exploit her. Olive is never just a sex object, and when she is gussied up to put her sexuality on display, it's the character's choice, and it's to suit her purposes. (and it's pretty PG anyway). And it's all done in a way that isn't overt and phony. It doesn't have to stand on a mountaintop and scream "GIRL POWER" to earn cred. It presents a strong female character with agency and purpose, and it doesn't shame her for owning and using her natural sexuality. And when she finally sees the consequences of her actions, she owns up to them, and the movie lets her take the blame where appropriate, but doesn't deviate from still celebrating her autonomy as a human being. When, at the end, she gets the boy and says "I may lose my virginity tonight or tomorrow or on my wedding night, but whenever I do, it's none of your goddamn business", that is a knockout blow. She is fully realized; not a saint, nor a sinner. She is human, and she owns it. THAT is a how you write a strong female character. Beyond that, though, there's another reason to love this movie: it's just so much fun. The dialogue is snappy and genuinely funny. The direction is simple and effective in the best way possible. The cast is full of fantastic actors who all get moments to shine, from Thomas Hayden Church to Lisa Kudrow to Stanley Tucci and all the kids. But the star of the show, obviously, is Emma Stone, and she is so radiant in this movie, you may need to watch it through a piece of smoked glass. I've always liked her, but this made me love her. She infuses Olive with so much authenticity and energy, Every moment she's on screen, the movie crackles with electricity. She is adorable, she is fun, she is sympathetic, she is bad-ass ... she is pure joy to watch. So, yeah, this movie lived up to its title, because this really was a slam dunk for the five stars. Every element of this movie hits it out of the park. I should never have slept on this, and if you haven't watched it yet, you shouldn't either.