EASY A

Shades of John Hughes! Olive is one of thise kids who just doesn't quite fit in. She's just quirky enough to be cool without being weird, a fine line to walk in high school.
An untrue rumor starts circulating that Olive slept with an older "college" guy, and after trying for a brief time to dispel the rumor, she decides to run with it. She is hoping that if her classmates believe it, somehow her "coolness factor" will be given a boost.
Well, as you might imagine, everything goes wrong. Judgements are made, friendships are lost, then made, then lost again, and Olive is in way deeper than she could have ever imagined. She even goes as far as attaching a scarlett A to all of her clothes, just as Hester Prynne had in THE SCARLETT LETTER, which her English class was reading.
I think EASY A is great. the writing is sharp and witty, and the comedy is smart, without succumbing to "ass" and "tit" jokes like teen movies so often do now. It definitely doesn't insult the viewer.
All the usual characters are there -- the mega-bitchen bff, the under-the-radar studly dude who Olive has a secret crush on, the athletic crew, the gay boy, and the morally righteous ultra Christian chick and her bitchy prayer group pals.
Then there are the way cool teacher and the hippie-ish parents to round out the superb cast of characters.
EASY A is an obvious homage to the John Hughes movies we loved in the 80s, with direct references to PRETTY IN PINK, SIXTEEN CANDLES, and THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
I completely dug it!