Easy A is for Awesome
Or alternately titled, I Wish I Was That Awesome in High School.
First of all, let me start by saying that while I was okay with who I was in high school, I wish I were this awesome. I wish I did things not with a fizzle, but with a bang.
There's not a lot of movie characters that I'd like to be IRL {doesn't mean I didn't enjoy watching them}. Some of the high school movies of my time that I truly enjoyed were
Bring it On, Mean Girls, She's All That, Cruel Intentions, American Pie, etc. None of the characters ever struck me as someone I'd have loved to be.
Until Olive Penderghast, played by Emma Stone. Just like the rest of Tumblrville, I was hooked when I heard her say this:
Olive Penderghast: Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.
Olive Penderghast, the character, is definitely bound to go down on history, the way that Lloyd Dobler and Walter Gibson {played by John Cusack} have been immortalized. The character was sweet without being too sickly {ergo A Walk to Remember's Jamie}, not slutty at all {as opposed to the girls of Mean Girls}, not too feisty like Julia in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Not a lot of movies nowadays seem to be well thought of. The element of supernatural beings {vampires, superheroes, witches and wizards although Harry Potter is awesome, too} appear to be perpetually inherent. Rarely do concrete, real characters are established in movies, so Olive was obviously a refreshing change.
Unlike my high school self, she has read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. When I was fifteen, I wasn't so much of a classic fan, save for Greek mythology books and even older books. I had a penchant for bad boys and if I had been branded as a sl*t like she was, I would've just buckled down and cried.
And their PE uniform is just too illegally cute!
I wouldn't have had the courage to embrace my "reputation" and wear a scarlet letter on each of my tetoron blouses. I wouldn't probably have the courage to pseudo f*ck a gay friend to help out {OK, maybe I would, but not the fatty guy.} I wouldn't have the tenacity to stand up to a bigoted Catholic girl who keeps shoving her faith upon everyone.
Don't think I could've pulled off wearing a corset and wayfarers to school, too.
But Olive and I share something. That is a quirky relationship with our mothers. My mother may not be like her mom, who said this:
Rosemary: I had a similar situation when I was your age. I had a horrible reputation.
Olive Penderghast: Why?
Rosemary: Because I slept with a whole bunch of people. Mostly guys.
Olive Penderghast: Mom!
... my mother and I have the funniest conversations. We once had something similar like this, about a couple of months ago:
Tara: You know, my friends think you're an interesting woman.
Mama: Why naman?
Tara: Eh kasi all those things we talk about, things you do.
Mama: Interesting is a state of mind. Like for example, I really wish I could've been more like you.
Tara: Like me? Like what? Boy-crazy?
Mama: Yes. And I wish I could've kissed more guys, too. Lalo na yung pogi na exes ko na hanggang holding hands lang kami.
Tara: Mama!!!!!
We weren't like that when I was in high school though. And had we been, I know it would have been totally made a difference.
What I'm trying to say is, if I had a sister or a brother who's in high school, I would've plopped her on a couch and tied her till she finishes watching this movie. It's the answer to the incessant high school worry of fitting in. I will never admit it then, but I have always wanted to fit in. Or at least be accepted for who we are, not be ridiculed for it and/or be deemed cool. We all do. And while I think it's an inevitable process a high schooler will go through, I would like my hypothetical sibling to see this so she can go through it without resorting to drastic measures of inventing reputations, sucking it up to the cool kids or worse, destroying herself.
Plus, maybe then she would be inspired to read The Scarlet Letter unlike me in high school.
Have you seen Easy A? What do you think?