Easy A (2010)
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A high school student must navigate the fallout of a lie about her sexual history that spirals into a public scandal.
The story
Olive Penderghast, a 17-year-old student in Ojai, California, tells a lie about her weekend plans to avoid a camping trip. When she later claims she lost her virginity to a fictional date, the lie is overheard by a classmate and spreads rapidly through the school. To manage the fallout, Olive agrees to act as a 'beard' for a bullied classmate, Brandon, pretending to have sex with him to convince others he is straight. As her reputation as a 'tramp' grows, Olive must navigate the consequences of her fabrication while dealing with a school-wide crusade to 'save' her from her perceived promiscuity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Narrated by Olive Penderghast, the film follows her life after a lie about her virginity spreads through her high school. To mitigate the fallout, she agrees to be a 'beard' for Brandon, a gay student. She eventually embraces her reputation as a 'tramp,' even stitching a red 'A' onto her clothes in a nod to The Scarlet Letter. She accepts blame for a chlamydia infection to protect her favorite teacher's marriage and navigates a series of social complications involving her friends and classmates. The climax occurs when she performs at a pep rally and hosts a webcast to reveal the truth of her situation. The film ends with her reconciling with her friend Rhiannon and sharing a kiss with her childhood crush, Todd, while asserting her independence.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Will Gluck
- Writers
- Bert V. Royal · writer
- Cast and characters
- Emma Stone · Olive Penderghast; Penn Badgley · Woodchuck/Lobster Todd; Amanda Bynes · Marianne Bryant; Thomas Haden Church · Mr. Griffith; Patricia Clarkson · Rosemary Penderghast; Cam Gigandet · Micah; Lisa Kudrow · Mrs. Griffith; Malcolm McDowell · Principal Gibbons; Aly Michalka · Rhiannon Abernathy; Stanley Tucci · Dill Penderghast
- Genres
- teen romantic comedy
- Themes
- identity; reputation; virginity; truth vs. fiction
- Tone and mood
- witty; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; high school; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly praising Emma Stone's performance, and was a significant financial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 192; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical · nomination; Critics' Choice Award · Best Comedy · win
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was partially inspired by the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter.; The film is a fan favorite, ranked number 14 on Entertainment Weekly's 2021 list of the Best High School Movies.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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