Easy A (2010)

Movie · 2010 · Comedy · 1h 33m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 4.8/10 (1.5M ratings)

Let's not and say we did.

Overview

Olive, an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her classmates are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favorite teacher and the distracted guidance counselor. With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents and a little help from a long-time crush, Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumor mill once and for all.

Ratings

Director

Will Gluck

Production

Screen Gems, Olive Bridge Entertainment

Cast

Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Aly Michalka, Stanley Tucci, Fred Armisen, Juliette Goglia, Jake Sandvig, Morgan Rusler, Nikki Tyler-Flynn, Braeden Lemasters, Mahaley Patel, Jameson Moss, Blake Hood

Curator Review

Verdict

A sharp, breezy teen comedy with a smart lead performance and unusually warm parents, Easy A stays funny while skewering high-school hypocrisy and rumor culture. It’s especially appealing if you like fast dialogue, self-aware satire, and a feel-good coming-of-age story with a little bite.

Best for

  • fans of smart teen comedies
  • viewers who like witty, dialogue-driven satire
  • people who enjoy confident star-making performances
  • audiences looking for a lighter coming-of-age movie with heart

Skip if

  • you want a more grounded or realistic high-school drama
  • you dislike heightened, quippy comedy
  • you prefer broad slapstick over verbal humor
  • you’re looking for darker or more cynical teen movies

Overview

Easy A works because it understands how brutal high school can be without losing its sense of fun. The movie turns gossip into social warfare, then lets Olive fight back with wit, charm, and just enough chaos to keep the story moving. It’s a glossy comedy, but it has a real satirical edge about reputation, double standards, and how quickly a school can decide who you are.

Worth noting

Emma Stone gives the film its spark, balancing deadpan confidence with vulnerability so the character never feels like a punchline. The script is packed with clever references and quick reversals, but the movie’s secret weapon is the family dynamic: Olive’s parents are so supportive and weirdly specific that they become one of the film’s most memorable pleasures.

Bottom line

It’s not a perfect portrait of teenage life, and it doesn’t try to be. What it offers instead is a polished, funny, and surprisingly affectionate take on adolescent identity panic, one that lands as both a crowd-pleaser and a sharp little satire of social performance.

Top Letterboxd reviews

mac (4★) · 17819 likes

IF GOD WANTED HIM TO GRADUATE, GOD WOULD’VE GIVEN HIM THE RIGHT ANSWERS

samantha (4.5★) · 15715 likes

u know the film's unrealistic bc parents like that are just too good to be true

aaron (5★) · 12995 likes

the bible? oh that’s in the bestsellers, right next to twilight

Charlotte (4.5★) · 10229 likes

Do you think Emma Stone just submitted the pocket full of sunshine montage from Easy A as her audition for La La Land and called it a day

shay (4★) · 6793 likes

olive penderghast be like STORYTIME: I Faked Being A Slut At School For Weeks! (**No Clickbait**)

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Topics

teen comedy, coming-of-age, satire, high school, rumor mill, social hierarchy, witty dialogue, female-led, 2000s/2010s, lighthearted

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