Sunday 7 August 2016

EASY A REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
How many of us have lied in order to feel accepted by society? I'm guessing a lot and that is the basis for this comedy.
Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) is just average high school student. She has one friend, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) and has good grades. However, all that soon changes after Olive tells a little white lie to Rhiannon about losing her virginty. Unfortunately, that lie soon spreads throughout the whole school and Olive is suddenly the centre of attention and, instead of hiding away, she changes her identity and embraces who she is despite being called several different names by various students. This film perfectly shows what it's like to have your reputation ruined by telling a lie. It also shows one of the hardest parts of life: high school. You've just left your childhood behind and are now going through puberty. Everyone is coming to terms with who they are and understanding different aspects of life. One of the hardest things to deal with during your teenage years is sexuality. You are beginning to develop feelings for other people. For some, sexuality can be a way of becoming popular and that's what happens to Olive. In the beginning, she blends in, just like anyone else, but when Olive's lie gets out, she stands out from the whole crowd.
Most protagonists in romantic comedies are shown from a third person point of view. We watch what happens to them but we never truly know what they're thinking or feeling. In Easy A, we get to hear what Olive thinks as she tells us her story through a webcam and by introducing each chapter in her own unique way. That was one of my favourite things about this film.
Stone makes Olive a likable protagonist. She brings charm, confidence and humour to the role. I can't imagine Olive being portrayed by anyone else. Even if you're not a fan of romance or comedies, Easy A is worth watching for Stone's performance and her witty one liners.
Of course, it wouldn't be a romantic comedy without a potential love interest and that comes in the form of Todd (Penn Badgely) who is Olive's old crush and is also one of her supporters as he doesn't believe all the rumours that have been spread about her. The two have great chemistry which is important for creating a successful romantic comedy.
There is also another likable character and that's Brandon (Dan Byrd), Olive's friend, who is secretly gay and has only told her about his sexuality. The two have one of the funniest scenes in the film which involves them pretending to have sex with each other at a party in order for Brandon to be accepted by everyone.
This is the perfect film for anyone who has had to lie about who they are as a way of being accepted by others. Easy A shows that it doesn't matter what others think about you, it's what you think about yourself that really matters.
7/10

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