First Hit: Very smart film and Emma Stone is one of the few young actresses that could have pulled it off.
Films about high-school always seem to wallow in jocular and simple gross humor. Not that this film doesn’t play off of that type of humor, but what makes this film different is the way it’s done.
Stone plays Olive Penderghast who wants to be asked out on a date, seems to be not seen by the boys, doesn’t like the Christian club group at school, and has a best friend Rhiannon (played by Alyson Michalka) whom she shares her intimate information.
The backing and support she receives from her hip parents Dill (played by Stanley Tucci) and Rosemary (played Patricia Clarkson) allow her to be the smart, quipping, and intelligent girl she plays. To fix her non-existent reputation and the reputation of her gay friend she pretends to have sex with him at a large party given by the most popular girl in the school. They make it real enough that everyone thinks she puts out.
By doing this other guys think the gay guy is not gay and think that if they pay her, she will solidify their reputation as a hot guy. The thing is that nothing ever happens, she takes their money and spins the story the guys want spun about themselves.
The downside is everyone at the school thinks she is a slut. Because they are studying “The Scarlet Letter” in school she decides to sew a red “A” on her outfits. This causes additional negativity towards her and also allows her to also be more flippant and sarcastic.
Despite the fun she has with creating all the high school rumors about herself, it’s also causing problems in her life. Her parents support and share stories with her as a way to allow her to find her own way to resolve the lies being told about her. It has to start by changing the lies she told about everyone else.
Stone is dead on perfect for this part. She embodies the smart-alecky, good looking, somewhat plain, intelligent and self-understanding to carry this part from beginning to end. Tucci is wonderful as her father and it is easy to see the intelligent connection between the two. Clarkson is equally good as her mother and the talk they have on the hood of the Volvo is precious. Thomas Haden Church as Mr. Griffith is strong as Olive’s favorite teacher and Lisa Kudrow as Mrs. Griffith is good as the school guidance counselor who has her own shenanigans. Bert V. Royal wrote a strong and smart script. Will Gluck took this smart script and great cast and made a funny and thoughtful high school aged film.
Overall: This film was fun and joy to watch. It is smart and funny and not foolish.