EASY A

US, 2010, 92 minutes, Colour.

Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm Mc Dowell.
Directed by Will Gluck.

Some years ago, Mean Girls turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining look at how teens interact among themselves at school, the groupings, the gossip, the rivalries, and the meanness. Easy A is in the same vein and an enjoyable look at high schoolers (while some parents may be wringing their hands). But, it makes some points very well, amusingly and tellingly.

Gossip is the key idea. The premiss of the film is that to fulfil the over-expectations of her best friend about sex and boyfriends, Olive (an anagram of I love, she points out to the boy who wonders what an anagram is) on an impulse makes up a juicy story about how she spent the weekend with an older man, George. In fact, she spent the weekend home alone. Before you can think to say ‘gossip’, the story is all around the school, and, as they say, increasing exponentially in content and salaciousness. What is Olive to do?

Emma Stone is very good indeed as Olive, making her a strong character, narrating on line, with hand printed chapter credits, the story of her loss of reputation, or her gaining of a reputation as the school slut. This is compounded by the Christian moral group headed by the daughter of a minister, Maryanne (Amanda Bynes) who is really responsible for the rumour-mongering. Olive is supported by ex-hippy like loving parents (Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci are very good) and an adopted brother, black – the parents saying that they had been planning to let him know when the time was right.

Olive then lets herself get entangled, sometimes out of a kind attitude, sometimes out of mischief, to let her reputation get worse by the students thinking she is promiscuous, with a gay student, a fat rejected student, an Indian student – who all pay up with cash or gift vouchers for stores. How can it end, especially when the school counsellor (Lisa Kudrow) who is married to Olive’s favourite teacher (Thomas Haden Church) who is explaining Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter? Olive throws caution and reputation to the wind, changes her wardrobe to more provocative and sews a large scarlet A on to her dresses.

It has to come to a head and Olive makes the on-line confession of the truth – but there is one boy who believes in her (because she had saved his reputation when he was 8 and she let everyone think he had kissed her when he was reluctant to) and so a happy ending for Olive is possible.

The message is strong and rather alarming in how people listen instantly to rumours of the worst kind, believe them without reflection, pass them on with vicarious enjoyment, label people and relish looking down on them while still eager to hear more details. Olive sees it as a variation on the plight of Hester Prynne and the original scarlet letter.

Some time ago, Alicia Silverstone starred in Clueless which took Jane Austen’s Emma and explored plot, character and themes in a contemporary setting. Easy A is in this vein.

1. The popularity of high school comedies? Popular themes, characters? Difficulties? The difference with this film?

2. The California setting, the town of Ojai? Typical, different? The campus, the classrooms, the corridors, the sports field? Homes? Parties? The songs and musical score?

3. The background of adaptation of classical stories for contemporary films, for the school world? The background and the clips from the films here? The background of Clueless and the adaptation for Emma? The reliance of Nathanial Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter? The explicit references, the plot similarities and differences? The films, characters? The Scarlet Letter and the film versions, silent, the criticism of Benny? The students reading the book or not? The classes, Mr Griffith and his love of the novel, his way of teaching? Olive, reading the novel, the comparisons between Hester Prynne and Olive? Her actually making a letter, wearing it, people seeing it and reacting to it?

4. The framework of the film, Olive and the video, the camera, …. online? Olive talking to camera, the captions for the sections of her film? The invitation at the end? People watching, reactions? Modern technology?

5. The introduction to Olive, her age, her ordinary life, her eccentric parents and their niceness, interactions with her brother, at home? Rhia and the chat, boys, Olive as a virgin, her girlfriend and probing about sexuality? Olive deciding to make up a story about George, the details? The reality of her at home, alone, with the family? The decision to lie, the story and its detail, Rhia’s reaction, believing everything? Marianne and her attitudes, overhearing, telling everyone?

6. The film’s comment on spreading stories, people’s credulity? Everybody believing, embroidering the story, the reactions? In class, the boys and their sexist attitudes, the girls, the Christian prayer group, the various boys and their wanting to use Olive for their reputations?

7. The young gay boy, persuading Olive to go to the party, the performance in the room, people at the keyhole? The fat boy and his offering a voucher, the union man, Olive’s reputation? And the humour of her being paid for the rumours? Making the letter A, wearing it, being seen? With her parents, their eccentricities and niceness, the humour, interactions with her brother?

8. Mr Griffith, kind, genial, in his classes, her language and her being sent to the principal, her talks with Mr Griffith, his wife?

9. Micah, his lies, sexually transmitted disease, talking with the counsellor, Micah and his family, his being sent away, his lies about Olive? This influencing her decision to talk?

10. The principal, the language issue, the principal at school, the importance of the sports teams and the cheerleaders? The variety of teams?

11. Woodchuck Todd as a boy, the incident with the kiss, her not telling the story? His love for her, her attraction towards him? The outing at the lobster restaurant? Todd and his continuing to support her, the final confrontation with the teams and the cheerleaders? The song and dance routine, the audience’s reaction, driving Olive home?

12. The boy who wanted to date Olive, seemingly genuine, going to the lobster restaurant, the revelation of his exploitation and his reaction?

13. At home, the parents, the talk, watching The Bucket List? Her talk with her mother, her mother remembering her past?

14. The moral of the story – especially about reputations, gossip, the consequences?