Film Review: Easy A

I think that we always need at least one perfectly written comedy film each year, at least to make up for all the poorly conceived and cliched comedies that we've had to sit through. Easy A breaks down that door with style, class, and personality. Where Mean Girls was mostly told from a more teenage perspective, Easy A is a surprisingly mature look at promiscuity in high school. It's an original premise, and perhaps a little too complex to sum it up in one statement. The conflict of the film blossoms from a small lie into a colossal tornado of turmoil.

But yes, this is a comedy, and one of the best I've seen in a while. Not since the days of John Hughes have we had witty dialogue so precise to entertain us constantly, and I do mean constantly. There are several of amazing one-liners, but part of the beauty of the film is that they come in at a lightning pace that makes it difficult to pick out any one as a favorite. Then, as the film gets towards the end of it's brisk 90-minute run time, the jokes slow down a bit, but for good reason. Olive's life is spinning out of control, and there are emotional consequences of that, and they fit perfectly into the aesthetic of the premise.

The performances charismatic all around, from some of the great comedic actors of our age. Emma Stone carries the film proudly on her shoulders with ease, and has gone a long way from the most unattractive person in Superbad. That film feels like such a long time ago. Amanda Bynes comes out of retirement for this film, and I know that I kept griping at her for looking horrible, but that's part of her character. Her face alone is enough the admire a chuckle out of the audience. Cam Gigandet from Twilight is in this film, kind of.

However, the big scene-stealers are the adults. Thomas Haden Church does some nice work here, and I wish he was one of my teachers. For that matter, I wish high school in real life was more like the high school in this film. Lisa Kudrow comes in late, but makes the most of her time. She really eases her way into this, and I'm glad to see that she still exists. Patricia Clarkson plays Olive's mom, who gets some nicely done awkward parent moments with her daugter. However, they all come in second to Stanley Tucci, who doesn't steal the show from Emma Stone, but he proves once again why he's cast in every good comedy these days.

Bert V. Royal claims to have written the entire script in five day, excluding the last ten pages, and I don't think that's true. If it is, then this guy is a force to be reckoned with, because if he spends three weeks on a screenplay, he may have the best film ever written. If it isn't true, then he's still an awesome writer, and we should watch his career in the future. The director doesn't do a whole lot, but you can expect that much from a comedy director. The film shines in the performances and the dialogue. In terms of this weekend, The Town may be better, but Easy A is the film people are going to be watching over and over again.

B+