EASY A

RYAN: You were much more excited to see Easy A than I was, probably because I’d barely seen the trailer for it.

CAROLINE: I loved the trailer. It made me LOL every time, I loved the cast, it looked smart and funny and I had such high hopes… but I didn’t love the movie. Liked it a lot, but didn’t love it.

RYAN: I loved it! It totally surpassed my expectations. The cast is incredible – Amanda Bynes, Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson and our new leading lady, Emma Stone. Now that’s a cast, honey!

CAROLINE: I can’t disagree with you there. The cast was genius and I loved watching all of these actors. Maybe the trailer was too good or something. I guess I shouldn’t have watched it so many times because I knew a lot of the funny moments ahead of time. There will still plenty of laughs and it’s a very cute movie, it just didn’t do it for me like I’d hoped it would.

RYAN: I think I laughed out loud more than I usually do. It’s so much funnier than a standard Will Ferrell movie.

CAROLINE: That’s not saying much though, is it?

RYAN: Not lately. But it’s just so hilarious, and it’s the perfect teen angst/coming-of-age/John Hughes-type film meets Mean Girls.

CAROLINE: It’s definitely a bit derivative of other teen films, but purposely so. It’s almost an homage to John Hughes at times. I’d like to give a special mention to Lisa Kudrow who was brilliant, and also looks fabulous.

RYAN: She showed great range as this character. She’s really funny, but has deep moments too.

CAROLINE: She’s aging so well. If she’s had work done, everyone in Hollywood should go to her plastic surgeon.

RYAN: Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson were hilarious as the parents. The script is really well written, so everyone was great, honestly. Some of the moments were a little implausible though, and I think they took it a little too far at times. Some of what goes on at the high school was a little much.

CAROLINE: That was the reason I didn’t totally love the movie. First of all, I hate that all the actors playing high school juniors are in their early-to-mid 20s. It just makes everything less believable. And a girl like Emma Stone’s character, who’s plucky and smart and completely fearless, doesn’t really exist in high school. No girl that age is confident and savvy enough to pull off what she does. It’s just not very realistic. And as hilarious and brilliantly written as the scenes with her parents were, they weren’t very realistic either.

RYAN: I hear you. I still loved it though. The movie raises a lot of questions about sexuality, friendship, religion, relationships and even adultery while still being hilarious.

CAROLINE: Honey, I liked it too; I just thought it took some liberties.

RYAN: I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and the performances, and it’ll bring you right back to the drama of high school with all the themes it raises. It’s the kind of movie you’ll want to talk about and dissect afterward.

CAROLINE: It’s a smarter than average movie, and I definitely appreciated the teen angst. It’s better than most teen comedies, for sure.

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: I fully recommend this movie. I had so much fun watching it and was thoroughly entertained. As I was watching the credits, which are very interesting by the way, I just felt happy. This movie takes you back to high school, and I think everyone will find something to relate to in it.

CAROLINE: I enjoyed it too, but not quite as much as I thought I would. I don’t necessarily think it’s a must see in the theater, but it would be perfect to catch on cable someday. If you’re at all inclined to see it on the big screen though, it’s worth your money for its intelligent humor. I love Emma Stone, but she seems too cool or intelligent or something to play an insecure high school student.

— RATING —