Easy A | B-

What happens when a lonely wallflower is suddenly thrust into the spotlight of high-school gossip? A combination of lies, manipulation and high school drama that eventually leads to a happy ending.

Presented in the form of a webcam message, Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone, Superbad) is a clean-cut girl who spends her weekends doing absolutely nothing — at least that was the case until a strict Christian classmate, Marianne (Amanda Bynes, She's the Man) overheard Olive insinuating that she lost her virginity. From there, rumors about her new jezebel status spread like wildfire, and after she pretends to sleep with her gay friend to convince the school that he is straight, many other boys beg her to perform the same "services" for them. When Olive's life resembles that of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, she decides to affix a red "A" to her new wardrobe. But as the glamour from the gossip quickly deteriorates, Olive learns what it takes to reclaim her good reputation.

The film started off strong, with a lot of great potential momentum in the beginning. The cast was fresh and the plot quite promising. But as the story progressed, the plotline seemed to slow down until it came to an abrupt stop. While much props should be given to the screenwriters for the witty sarcastic bits and the endless references to classic American novels, it is disappointing to note that character development was lacking and the more interesting parts of the film seemed to plateau early on, making the ending seem anti-climactic.

Furthermore, director Will Gluck couldn't seem to settle on a tone for the movie, as it began light and fun, and right before the end, it became noticeably heavier and considerably more serious. The transition was awkward and the only thing that held it all together was the random bursts of comedic relief found in Olive's loving but quirky family. Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), once again, gives a strong performance, as Olive's dad, alongside Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April), who plays Olive's mom. Unfortunately, Olive's eventual love interest Todd (Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl) isn't really mentioned much until the later portion of the film, thereby making his relationship with Olive appear random and somewhat unexpected.

Despite the film's general awkwardness and aforementioned shortcomings, Easy A still has much to offer. Fans of '80s movies will appreciate the two-minute montage of famous clips and sprinkles of allusions to the classics in the dialogue. Enthusiasts of classic novels will enjoy watching famous stories being applied to modern times. Everyone else will welcome the distraction from their problems in real life. Easy A will entertain you for a moment, but in the end, it will leave you unsatisfied and still wanting more.