Review of Easy A (2010) by Ricardo P — 10 Sep 2012

I really like Emma Stone and could tell she was a good comedic actress in the first film I saw her in ("Zombieland", the Ghostbuster scene). Penn Badgley almost has no real point in being in this film. The guy pops up every now and then but doesn't really offer anything. :\ He just feels like the token, hot love interest. That aside, the movie is really, really funny at times, thanks mostly to the witty, fast-talking Olive and her cool, hilarious family members. Their scenes were so hilarious. And their family dynamic felt real, to an extent. They were cool, but perhaps *too* cool. Most parents at some point would be incredibly concerned when their daughter comes in and tells them to ignore rumours about her being a slut. No 'rentals could remain that calm. It's impossible.

And I thought Amanda Bynes was retiring from acting? She plays the annoying holy-roller who thinks she can be a judgmental snob and still win people over to her religious beliefs. The film pokes fun at extreme Christian fundamentalism and this isn't something you see a whole lot in high school comedies. Bynes' character and her counterparts are so over-the-top in the way they express themselves sometimes that it's more likely you'll be amused (as I was) than offended by it.