Easy A

Every once in a while, a smart, female-focused teen movie comes along. The ’90s had ‘Clueless’; the noughties had ‘Mean Girls’; each of them concerned with that age-old problem: popularity. Similarly, ‘Easy A’ features a girl caught somewhere between loser and in-crowd. Instead of trying to get a leg up, virgin Olive (Emma Stone) pretends she’s got her leg over – mainly to shut up her inquisitive friend. Soon the details of Olive’s fictional cherry-popping have spread all over the school… and then it escalates.

Unlike most teens, Olive has an altruistic streak, and this gets her into trouble. Soon she’s agreeing to have imaginary sex with every geek and gay boy in the school to save them from a beating. Branded a hussy, Olive decides to dress the part, sewing an ‘A’ on to her clothing in a nod to ‘The Scarlet Letter’.

And so an amusing exploration of high-school life ensues, but this is broader: Olive has a maturity that makes her relatable to older women, too. Stone gives a terrific performance, her knowing drawl implying intellect and indifference with underlying warmth. Props also to a hilarious Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as laid-back parents. ‘Easy A’ isn’t perfect: the love story feels like an add-on, a storyline with teachers Lisa Kudrow and Thomas Haden Church is scrappy. But – like the John Hughes films it references – it’s hard not to love, flaws and all.