I think Easy A is such a gem mainly because it has numerous references to 1980s John Hughes films and does so without copying it and instead paying homage in a fun and entertaining way. Emma Stone is well deserving of the award nomination accolades she’s received thus far and I only hope the Oscars will gives her props as well.
Easy A (2010)
Genre(s): Comedy
Sony | PG13 – 92 min. – $34.95 | December 21, 2010
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Will Gluck
Writer(s): Bert V. Royal (written by)
Cast: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow, Aly Michalka, Stanley Tucci, Malcolm McDowell
Theatrical Release Date: September 17, 2010
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Featurettes, Gag Reel, Audition Footage, Trivia Track, movieIQ, BD-Live
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Portuguese (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): Region Free
THE MOVIE – 4/5
Plot: Olive (EMMA STONE) is an average high school student who sees her below-the-radar existence turns around overnight once she decides to use the school’s gossip grapevine to advance her social standing.
Easy A is probably the gem film of 2010. While I had expectations for movies like Inception and The Expendables (and in both cases they were met), I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this comedy; it appeals to both the young and middle aged crowds who still remember their days in high school.
One reason the film work is it is not at all pretentious – despite numerous lines of dialogue and made-up words that probably will become part of the high school vernacular – or self aware unlike another out-of-nowhere comedy, Juno, one that I did like for what it was but hasn’t exactly stood the test of time. I don’t know if the writer – Bert V. Royal who wrote the script on spec – seems to have a great ear for the 21st century high school crowd (at least to this 20th century former high-school guy) and while he might go the way of Diablo Cody and follow it up with a lousy outing (Jennifer’s Body).
Casting wise, I’d say this has to be one of the better ensembles put together of any film in 2010. Obviously the focus should be on Emma Stone in a star-making role that reminded me of pre-alcoholic/screwed-up Lindsay Lohan when she got much critical and audience praise for her performance in Mean Girls, I can only hope that Stone doesn’t take the same route and continue on a career that could be long-lasting. Emma Stone brings a breath of fresh air that, while the script is good, would not have been the same. She’s authentic but not annoying. She’s beautiful but not over-the-top and unbelievable playing a high school student (and is around the same age, at least within a couple of years).
The supporting cast also is fantastic. Not only do you have veteran actors with Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church plus you have Lisa Kudrow and Amanda Bynes (who retired and then quickly unretired from acting – crisis averted) providing some great comedy opposite Stone. The supporting players also include Aly MMichalka who was great in the sadly unseen/under-advertised Bandslam, Penn Badgley (The Stepfather), Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Malcolm McDowell as the clichéd but still fun hard-nosed school principal.
I think Easy A is such a gem mainly because it has numerous references to 1980s John Hughes films and does so without copying it and instead paying homage in a fun and entertaining way. Emma Stone is well deserving of the award nomination accolades she’s received thus far and I only hope the Oscars will gives her props as well.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES – 2.5/5
Extra Credit: Pop-Up Trivia Track is a self-explanatory feature where you can learn everything you wanted about the film. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Commentary with Director Will Gluck and Star Emma Stone – The duo provide a lively and informative track delving into how certain shots were done, casting different actors, etc. Stone and Gluck often poke fun at themselves and one another making for an enjoyable commentary track. The only downside is there are too many lulls in between the comments…
movieIQ – This uses BD-Live to connect online where you can get information on the picture and filmmakers. As with Fox’s “Live Lookup”, I don’t find much value with this feature. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
The Making of Easy A (14:35; HD) – This is a paint-by-numbers ‘making-of’ featurette where the director, writer and other cast members break down the story, how the movie was made and how the cast was chosen, all mixed in with behind-the-scenes footage plus footage from the film. While this isn’t a unique feature, it’s still quite interesting. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Vocabulary of Hilarity (5:01; HD) goes through the made-up words (i.e. v-card, lemon squeeze) or different unique lines used throughout the film (as well as changing words to garner a PG-13 rating) with more interviews with the filmmakers and cast about them. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
The School of Pop Culture: Movies of the Eighties (5:08; HD) – This is a fun featurette outlining the teen comedies created, primarily, by John Hughes and how it was integrated/emulated in the movie. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Gag Reel (5:21; SD) contain line flubs galore.
Emma Stone Audition Footage (19:19; SD) – There are a few pieces you can choose including the “Webcam” (partially shown in the Making Of featurette), “In Detention”, “In Detention #2”, “Fight on the Phone”, “Fight on the Phone #2” and “Olive Confesses”.
BD-Live – As always, you can use the online feature to check out more info on other Sony titles. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
There are also previews for The Social Network, Burlesque, Beastly, Nowhere Boy, Salt, How Do You Know, The Other Guys, Tamara Drewe, Eat Pray Love and The House Bunny (how far back are they going???).
VIDEO – 4.75/5
Easy A is presented in its original 1.85 aspect ratio and 1080p high-definition (AVC codec). The picture, albeit nothing extraordinary in terms of a “wow” factor, looks really good on the small screen. Detail levels are great, skin tones look just right without going overboard while even background objects have a fair amount of detail as well.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio track isn’t anything special but it does get the job done. There’s some choice music throughout which makes the most use out of the front channels while off-camera sounds mildly comes through the rear speakers. Dialogue is easy to understand, though.
OVERALL – 4/5
I think Easy A is such a gem mainly because it has numerous references to 1980s John Hughes films and does so without copying it and instead paying homage in a fun and entertaining way. Emma Stone is well deserving of the award nomination accolades she’s received thus far and I only hope the Oscars will gives her props as well.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 12/29/2010
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2.