Easy A

Good teen comedies are not all that easy to find and some of the bad ones can be really bad, so it was rather refreshing when, every few years, a really good one comes along. Easy A  is not quite as good  as the best of the genre (Heathers, Ferris Bueller, etc...) but it comfortably lives with the good films on the second rung of the genre (the likes of Clueless; 10 Things I hate about You; Mean Girls). Its not as dark as Heathers, nor quite as caustic as Mean Girls, but has a bit more bite than the likes of Clueless.

Like many successful teen comedies the ultimate source is literary (here The Scarlet Letter), although there are also knowing references to classic 80s John Hughes movies. You'll feel like you've seen most of the characters before, even Amanda Bynes' christian uber-bitch is  rather similar to Mandy Moore's character in Saved! and its easy to see where this is going from the start.

However, none of that really matters, because where the film succeeds is in being genuinely likeable and funny. There are real laughs to be had in the sharp script and they are got by a talented cast led by a breakout turn from Emma Stone, confirming the promise she showed in Zombieland. She's backed up by some good adult performances, especially from Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as the funniest movie parents in a long time.

Overall - 7/10 Not quite in the top draw, but a very entertaining and funny second-tier effort