There is nothing quite like low expectations, which is how one speculates Will Gluck’s directorial debut Fired Up was greenlit. With low expectations for turning out a genre film in the vein of–dare I say–the evil twins Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, Gluck turned out a minor comic masterpiece. With developed characters and situations with a level of self aware, self-mocking humor, he created a parody of what it could have evolved into.
Gluck’s Easy A is a more calculated and perhaps more mature, losing the postmodern spunk of Fired Up, it trades the cheap shots for well developed characters played by seasoned professionals and anchored by a strong performance by Emma Stone. Stone pays Olive, a largely unnoticed high schooler that spends her weekends listening to Natasha Bedingfield tunes while lounging around the house. Lying to her best friend with an overtly active libido, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka who last appeared in the underrated tween drama Bandslam), Olive invents an imaginary date with an imaginary community college boy. And thus the roomer mill starts.
The preoccupation of Olive’s exploits are confusing – the film revolves around her as a girl that achieves instant popularity and becomes as useful as the marketing department, creating a brand for herself in Web 2.0 – however aren’t other students having sex? Fooling around? Olive admirably uses her web camera to narrate her story – a story that takes dead aim at extremists on both sides.
On one end of the spectrum we have the Rhiannon (Michalka), a virgin with an active libido, on the other we have Marianne (played by Amanda Bynes in her last role – or not?) of the Christian right dating Micah (Cam Gigandet) , a super senior with his own secrets.
The film has a good deal of fun with its supporting performances including Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as Olive’s free spirited parents, and Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow as a married teacher and guidance councilor. In the universe of Gluck these seasoned professionals play sincere but closely observed parodies of characters in other teen films.
Easy A, much like Fired Up functions as a meta commentary, transcending the influences of Hughes and edging towards subversive territory tread by Jamie Babbit’s But I’m A Cheerleader or Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse. The film never quite reaches that level, however Gluck and Stone have created a likable, breezy and fun back to school film with clear targets shot with excellent comic timing.
7 out of 10
Easy A opens on September 17th.