Easy A (Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson) – Emma Stone garnered a Golden Globe nomination for her brilliant performance as Olive, a high school good girl who decides to rebuild her image by spreading rumors that she is actually a slut. And it works. A few well-placed words suck in the high schoolers. She allows a few guys who want to be able to brag they’ve “done the deed” to say they did it with her in exchange for gift cards from various stores. This makes them really popular with the other girls but ultimately sullies her reputation. One guy sees through it all, however, and sees her for what she really is – not boring, quite bright, and a bit lonely. The film is aimed at a young audience but it actually hits a high note with more mature watchers all the while entertaining us. Thus, Easy A is a coming-of-age tale with enough provocative scenes to fit today’s teen sex comedies while delivering a serious punch and good acting.
From Superbad to Zombieland, Emma Stone has become a bona fide star. And with her Golden Globe nomination here, you will be seeing a lot of her. She has both a winning personality and a maturity that is rare for the young actresses of this generation. And with a strong supporting cast that includes Thomas Haden Church as a popular and scrupulous teacher and the always-exceptional Patricia Clarkson, Easy A will please fans of independent films. While all were ignored for Oscar nominations, I found the film one of my favorite comedies of the past year.