Easy A (2010)

Teen comedy from director Will Gluck and writer Bert Royal loosely based on The Scarlet Letter. Thankfully, every couple of years a movie comes around for wise youngsters who realize there are lies all around them, and that high school can be one of the most miserable places on earth. While not as great as Heathers or Mean Girls, Easy A has that same mixture of humor and emotional violence, with enough sweet to offset the sour. For years the smart and appealing Emma Stone has been knocking around in supporting parts, usually cast as "the girl" and making the most of it. Here she is finally given her vehicle and she's great, though at twenty-two is a little long in the tooth to be playing seventeen (there are a lot of high school students in this film sporting crow's feet and male-pattern baldness). It starts off rather hard-sell but gets funnier and funnier. There are a lot of zingers in the script, all delivered with skill. The cast (which includes Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, and Lisa Kudrow) all seem to be having a great time. A nice surprise.