Easy A

I had my reservations.

I mean, I've loved Emma Stone in everything from Superbad to Zombieland, but I thought perhaps Easy A would fall into the trap of being a kitschy teen chick flick. Fortunately, however, what we get is an intelligent and biting comedy that at times satirises the films of my expectation (most notably with the quip about the 20-year-old high school student).

From it's sharp, literary references and parallels to the dialogue and performances, Easy A creates a tight, highly entertaining feel-good movie that genuinely provokes thought. This isn't a run-of-the-mill teen comedy, this is witty, thematically complex and very self-aware. The narration scenes break the fourth wall as Olive addresses the audience directly under the guise of a webcast, and there are more pop- and literary-culture references than you could shake a moderately-sized former tree limb at.

Thomas Hayden Church steals every scene he's in, which is a tall order considering the breakaway accomplishment of Emma Stone's performance and the fact he shares a number of scenes with her. I want to see him do more of these intelligent comedic roles, it was very refreshing. Lisa Kudrow gives a very good supporting performance, keeping her character firmly grounded in reality, rather than falling into an exaggerated caricature. By all means though, Emma Stone proves herself a very capable leading lady, rather than just the supporting player she's been to date. Her comedic ability is aptly tapped and she's at her witty, sarcastic best in this, while her dramatic scenes showed a sensitivity and depth worthy of her Golden Globe nomination.

Easy A is a fresh and fun film visually, the lens capturing the youth and the energy of a rumour-led high school in sunny California. Equally, the soundtrack is pitch-perfect, providing additional buzz and that veneer of 'high school cool'. There were some interesting time remapping sequences from long Steadicam takes that really enhanced the idea of connectivity within the high school environment. As I touched upon earlier, the film benefits from its use of real-world references, be they subtle ('heads in the oven') or more blatant (the Ferris Bueller musical number 'for no apparent reason'). This really makes the film appreciable on a deeper level to the savvy audience.

'Pleasantly surprised' would perhaps be doing Easy A a bit of a disservice. It's a fantastically entertaining feel-good film that doesn't feel like the standard popcorn fare, but benefits from intelligent writing. It's a film that isn't afraid of the deadpan retort without feeling the need for the obligatory 'did you get the joke?' nudge and wink afterwards.

It didn't deserve the stigma of being pre-judged based on what I'd heard or thought I'd heard about it. Then again, that's the whole point, isn't it?