The Genius of Easy A 

My favorite Stanley Tucci line is *slaps table* “who told you?!” When her brother says he’s adopted 😂

Rhiannon being in love with Olive makes SO much sense. I will rewatch this film with such a completely different view of her now.

this movie is entirely the reason I’ll watch Emma Stone in anything, I won’t lie. to this day, the joke about “the book discussed in the English class of a movie must always be relevant to the plot” lives in my head, rent free

I always read the "unrealistic dialog" in Easy A as a teen who mostly hangs out with her hippie/educated parents. I know this happens because I spoke differently than my peers in high school as well. That said, I'd also say that these scripts really need to be reviewed and edited by a group of actual teens.

Amanda Bynes did NOT get enough credit for this movie. She was chewing every scene she was in and it makes me bonkers that the only people who get credit for doing that are old men.

I absolutely love, love, love the family dynamic in this movie. Honestly one of the only teen movies that stuck with me. Glad to see other people love it as much as I do.

Honestly one of my favorite things about Easy A is the feeling you get that these classmates have all known each other since they were much younger. “We haven’t talked in a while.” One of the reasons middle and high school can be so socially difficult is because we naturally drift away from our grade school friends to form new social groups. Olive’s journey is partially reconnecting with people she became distant from, while asserting her voice with her only current friend. It makes her so compelling on that front alone, before even taking her fantastic wit into account. This video essay is wonderful! You made me appreciate I movie I already loved even more.

I think Olive's parents had a big effect on parents in later teen movies but they didn't get what made them great. IDK if you've seen Crush but the mum in that felt really reminiscent of Olive's mum but with no boundaries, no ability to read the room or know when to take the moment seriously. Olive's parents are cheeky and they will be embarrassing sometimes in a playful way but they never take it too far to the point it becomes invasive because they know their daughter.

Fr if you keep uploading video essays of this standard for like a couple more months you're not only gonna become one of the most popular analyser RU-vidrs but probably one of the best RU-vidrs on the site. Incredible stuff

there's something very sad about mary-anne's friendship with olivia, honestly. you can almost immediately tell by the way mary-anne throws herself into the friendship that she probably hasn't had many friendships with girls her age. the vibe is difference than with her congregation, because i'd be willing to bet none of them are really friends. and how quickly that friendship ended kind of showed /why/ mary-anne has trouble keeping friends. at no point did she ever go to olive and say 'this is what i heard, is it true?' which shows how little trust existed on mary-anne's end. i could go on about how this is tied to the perception of women in christian and culturally christian societies having an impression on the way mary-anne views women and the inherent idea of female friendship as competition but i don't think either of us have time for that.

The sound bit when he’s the woodchuck “chewing” on the wood 😂😂

the 'c'est/say la vie' 'la vie' joke flew over my head for YEARS until i rewatched it recently, truly the movie that keeps on giving lol

Easy A is a Gem! Tod is so underrated and I'm so jealous of her parents.

Back with another comment because I have more thoughts. The perfection of the portrayal of Olive's family dynamic cannot be understated. Honestly, its so refreshing to see movie/tv show parents who are just...good people, kind and supportive with their own distinct personalities and humour. I'm sort of sick of seeing teen dramas where the teens are constantly fighting with their parents, its so nice to have a movie where they're not the source of conflict and instead a grounding force for the protagonist. When people ask me what my relationship is like with my family I point to this movie as the perfect example, I enjoy hanging out with my parents, we've always been close and I've never really fought with them, our brand of humour is a little weird but we get it and I tell them most stuff about my life, and they tell me about their lives its just that kind of casual relationship that is more like friends than parent and child and its so nice to see that kind of parenting reflected in a movie, especially a teen movie.

Easy A instantly became one of my all time favorite movies. I never felt like it was talked about enough so the fact you're covering it has me so excited!

Stanley Tucci’s “WHAT! WHO TOLD YOU!?” Was genius

This movie to me feels like a piece of home, one you would watch in the afternoon after you went home from school coming home sick or whatever. This mo ie just radiates everything I love. A cheeky relatable outcast, a good makeover scene and it’s self awareness. The characters are aware of their situations grounding the movie in reality one that you and I could have experiece. All that I’m trying to say that this movie is the true definition of a “Feel Good” movie.

Fun fact: I saw this in theaters for my birthday when it first came out! A couple years later I wanted to get the DVD when I saw it on sale, and my mom was like, "Oh no. No, no, no. That's not appropriate for a girl your age." I pointed out that I had seen it & loved it *ages* ago, and she was flabbergasted. She could not remember that birthday party at all (admittedly, I'm pretty sure my dad took us.) I started summarizing the plot to explain it, and *that* was when I found out she missed the "lie" plot point, and until that very moment she thought it was about teen prostitution. ...Anyway, she bought me the DVD. We just had to clear that up first, lol.

i've always really appreciated todd because he listens to her and what she wants in a way that's genuine and thoughtful he's not trying to be nice to get something, he just likes her and wants to be a good person

I’m so glad you talked about the dialogue. When I was a teen I loved how witty this movie was. I didn’t want a movie with realistic dialogue - because I could just talk to my peers any day of the week. When I was that age I loved things that challenged my thinking, I liked learning new words, and it made me explore the world more because let’s be honest as a teenager I barely knew anything. Also it made me want to rewatch the movie over and over again.

I have loved this film but always thought Rhi was such an awful person let alone friend. Her being in love with Olive absolutely changes the perception. Her reactions become less crazy and while still wrong, more understandable. I am so glad I found this video!

I'm so glad you said it, because I've said it for years too. Stanley Tucci elevates everything he is in. Amazing. And the banter he gets here, even as limited as it is, is so well delivered. "Oh yeah! Your peas!" "What country are you from originally" dude was hilarious.

This movie is so under appreciated. I really liked how you explained it and having the context of Rhiannon liking Olive absolutely changes my perspective so I'll definitely will be rewatching it!

“C’est la vie. La vie” i remember seeing this movie in theatres and was so impressed. even 14 years later, it still holds up. and it’s SO quotable

Rosemary and Dill? Ha! I can't believe it took me 13 years to get that. Entertaining and educational - this is why I dig this channel

you have no idea how much this video essay means to me. This movie has always been in my heart and this well thought video made me shed a tear over how complex and beuatifully written it is, thank you so much

i always thought that Olive was a super-gifted child. Very advanced mind, used to read literature for grown-ups, etc. That is why her parents treated her as equal - which was a BIG mistake. she needed their help and they did not recognize it. But i assumed that she was, since childhood, always operating on highly advanced brain, always a few years ahead of her classmates.

you dont need a niche, the excitement in what you're talking about and the passion in it is why I subscribed personally, its nice to just have a cheerful yet concerned voice on the side sometimes, the quality of your own character is apparent from how you talk about others and their own struggles and depths, everything is nuanced to talk about the positives and how it could work, not just why something didnt, which in video essays is exceedingly rare. I have you on the side monitor, but based on the fact one of my suggestions is named "Click: the worst movie" on the sidebar from this video alone shows a lot on how you clearly want to handle stuff differently than other essayists, and I just want to support that genuine enthusiasm for things important to your teenage years.

After I graduated college, I saved up $3,000 in 2012 and moved from Missouri to Florida with no job. In my shared apartment, I only had a tv and DVD player for entertainment. While applying for jobs online or boredom, I would watch Easy A and The Brady Bunch Movie all the time. I never got sick of them. Easy A helped give me some joy during a scary time. Moving across country with no job and a useless marketing degree. Thank you Easy A and Emma Stone.

Another fantastic video! Olive’s parents were a huge part of why I love this movie, and how I try to behave around the littles in my life. Respect, trust, and take what they say seriously. Thanks for this!

Easy A is my all time favorite "teen movie" and I feel has always been under appreciated. You pointed out so many of the reasons I loved it but you may have made me love it more. Amazing essay, keep up the great content!

I first watched this movie when it came out in 2010 and several times since then, but I did not know that Olive's parents were named 'Dill' and 'Rosemary'. I love that so much! Haha. I think what makes 'Easy A' such a great movie is that the characters aren't stereotypes of their respective roles. Each character is so believable and the actors did an amazing job of their portrayals. Also: the reason why Todd is by far best boy in this movie, is because he's the only guy shown to not use Olive to gain popularity. There is so much to love about this movie.

not the sucker punch slander just minutes into the video 😭

You're telling me OLIVE's parents were ROSEMARY AND DILL? That is hilarious

First time in my life that I legit said out loud "what? it's over already? aw :(" after watching a video, which mirrored perfectly with the "aw, really, only two videos?!" when I finished your video on PLL and went to watch more a few weeks ago. I had never turned on notifications with such gusto after the Mentalist video because I'm really looking forward to more videos and this channel getting bigger, which I believe it's just a matter of time!

There's something really funny about a film heavily inspired by an 1850 novel being called "ahead of its time".

I love your videos. I’m excited to see what else you do. I can never here Pocketful of Sunshine without seeing Emma Stone opening and closing that card.

I've loved this movie since first watch, and every couple of years I rewatch it. I love that you made this amazing video! And yes, surprised me with that line for Ri from the script. If you hadn't pointed it out, I'd never have known.

holy shit you just blew my mind with that bit about Rhi being in love with Olive, i now REALLY need to re-watch this movie

Wonderful essay. I’ve always loved Easy A and thought of it with much high regard up there with 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls. I was shocked to learn about Rhiannon’s original feelings for Olive but it gives her character’s motivation more weight. Her character was the one thing that really bothered me in the movie because I didn’t understand her nuance. It’s a shame that wasn’t pursued further but ultimately it’s such a great movie I don’t mind too much.

THANK YOU! my cinephile mom doesn't understand why I LOVE this movie, but you just validated me for 37.17 minutes straight.

Say what you want about it being unrealistic to high school, I tried out being very slutty once, and my experiences ended up being fairly close to the movie in a lot of ways. The people who didn't like me doing it pretended that the reason they didn't like it was because it was bad for me and they weren't trying to bully me, they were trying to protect me. And, although I was doing it for real, most of the people I found were fairly downtrodden. There were also a few guys who assumed that being open meant I had no boundaries, and were surprised when I didn't like how they were treating me. It's a pretty realistic movie.

"Easy A" is my somewhat one of those ritual films that I just have to watch every view years. The dialogs are killing it.

The love and likeability of olive and her method of speaking hits a special time in my childhood since I grew up reading Calvin and Hobbs. Both of which frequently used words and jokes that went way over my little young head and I constantly had to look words up to decipher the jokes meaning.

This is my favorite movie of all time! You really elegantly explained all the reasons I love it. For me, this movie came at the perfect time when I exactly needed, right after I left high school and went into college. One thing I would say about the movie as well is that Olive is actually a super relatable character. Like, a lot of teenage girls are witty, smart, and have huge vocabularies. Teen girls do not get enough credit for how funny they can be. I also liked that her problem was also not being horribly bullied but being just a regular girl. Her problems were low enough stakes to allow for comedy that doesn't unintentionally belittle the main character. This is even acknowledged when she encounters Brandon, the gay character. She is still self-aware enough to understand that her problems could be a lot worse, and tries to help out people with less social capital. Even still, her problems matter, and she gets resolution when she makes herself a priority while still retaining her kindness and empathy for others even though there are some people throw it in her face.

I'm so happy reading through this comment section. Easy A is my favourite movie ever but severely underrated. This movie receiving the appreciation it deserves is so nice to see. In the world of Riverdale and Euphoria, I want more Easy A.

I only now know why I adore this film. I recently, in my 50s, discovered I’m on the spectrum, and have been misunderstood consistently and upsettingly for all of the decades. I now know why, but I didn’t back then. Your analysis clarifies so much about why I felt Olive was me, despite all the major plot ticks being far from my own story. Nice! I bought the movie ages back. Now I’m going to rewatch it…again 🙃

Mate this is such high quality analysis! Please keep going, it’s really upsetting you only have 3 videos

this is honestly such a comfort movie. and yes Todd!!! one of the greatest love interests, he just knows her and it's so sweet.

This was a legitimately fun movie. Also Woodchuck Todd didnt ask cuz he remembered what Olive did for him when he was nervous about kissing her. Thats also why he didnt believe the rumors. Easy A is legit a movie i often unintentionally quote. The "oooohhh burn!" Comment while walking away was top tier as a clapback. Or "I fake rocked your world" I also really enjoyed the parents as well. The movie actually had the white family adopting a black son and actually didnt make a weird thing about it. This movie also made me an Emma Stone fan. Her delivery was always chef's kiss.

I love this movie so much, knowing that Rhiannon had a crush on Olive makes much more sense and adds to it. I feel like keeping it hidden might also be due to the fact that the story is being told through Olive’s pov

I’ve not seen The Mentalist or Easy A, and these two videos of yours are some of the finest work on all of RU-vid. Honestly, whatever this “I don’t know what I’m doing” is…I think you do, and I think you should keep doing exactly this. You’ve got a great eye, great mind, and great voice to break down media, and this feels like rare content. So keep it up!

I dont know how I found your channel nor which of your first two videos was the first one I watched... but honestly all three of your videos are so incredible well made, funny, interesting and just pure entertainment from start to finish. I cant really put into words how they make me feel, but if I had to it would be something along the lines of: "they put me in a state of inner peace, where I dont want to think or do anything else, but just to focus on the video, every sentence and every frame of it. It just FEELS so right and natural to watch and listen." So thank you so much for putting out these videos and I hope you feel a fraction of my positive emotions when creating them. I cant wait for more videos, especially the first time a video is about something I dont know or didnt watch and I get to enjoy a show/movie with the thought in mind of being able to watch another amazing video of yours after finishing it.

“ the people who know who you are, know who you are. The people who don’t are irrelevant.” brilliant. I love that this was an amazing video. I also loved the movie and thoroughly enjoyed hearing you talk about it.

your voice is so soothing to listen to. and i love the analysis. I wasn’t even in my teens when easy a came out, so i was never interested in watching it, but the way you broke down the relationships and character dynamics here the more interested I became, and I’ve finally downloaded it to watch!

Easy A has always been part of my top five movies. i rewatched so many times as a teen. great video. i enjoyed watching every minute of it

Great as always! Can't wait to see you hitting the big numbers you deserve!

easy a is one of my favorite underrated classics, but i had yet to see a good video diving deep into the story. this video filled that void and more! please keep it up

I usually put on movie essay videos on in the background (cleaning, video games, etc.), but I literally paused what I was doing to watch. I even got popcorn. This was so well made and executed. You have incredible presence and your analysis was amazing. I need so much more of this! Keep up the amazing work.

I just want to say that - aside from being a phenomenally put together and thought-out analysis of the film, the line that you have at the rnd of the video about the people who know who you are know who you are was such a lovely comforting thing to hear that it genuinely made me pause and consider it. So thank you for that, it was most definitely a reminder that is sometimes needed ☺️

I don’t know why I love watching video essays about movies and shows I’ve never seen, but you do them really well.

there was a point in time where i could literally recite this movie from memory, it’s so funny. also i think the webcam as a narrative device really suited the audience since vlogging was just starting to take off at the time.

This is the first analysis I have seen by you. I love it. Not only is it insightful, but it is not just some commentary allowing you to replay the movie. Definitely subscribing.

I love the family dynamic. My parents weren’t so friendly as olive’s but we did a lot of things together and it was so much of a comfort cause at school I was shy and lonely.

I watch a ton of video essays on RU-vid. I love deep diving into a media I haven't consumed or just haven't thought of in a while. The care and perspective you bring to your videos is so refreshing. Your content reminds me a lot of ladyknightthebrave who is also so genuine about their thoughts and the love for the media they're discussing. This was a fantastic video, well done

I have to say, as new of a RU-vidr u are and with such few videos, you’re truly one of my favorite RU-vidrs at the moment. I got so excited today when I had seen u posted a new video!! Your work is amazing, I love all your insights and how detailed these analysis’s are. And it filled my heart with so much happiness when u made one on the mentalist :,) I thought I was alone in this world with my obsession with that show lol. Thank you for ur content and I feel ill be a longtime watcher of yours (:

Also!!! I would have never realized from the way your videos are, because they come off to me as like basically professional, but i had no idea you were such a new channel!! Im so glad youre here and the work youre doing is really good, entertaining, and makes a lot of good points. Thank you for the video!

This video is a work of art, your choice of words is perfect to explain your points and so is the visuals !

Easy A is my go to movie to watch when I'm sick, it just puts me in a better mood. You're video is awesome, keep up the great work!×

Of course I subscribed, you're a good communicator talking about subjects I like. Keep being you.

I love the way you speak and how you explain things, just scratches my brain in the best way. I am currently working my way through all your current content. Absolutely fantastic work!

I stumbled across with this video and I adore every single second of it: the way you structure the movie and thus, the arguments that u use, absolutely here for it, i’m gonna be here forever ♥️♥️

i'm so sad you arent a really old channel, after I watched the mentalist video you made I was so hyped to binge everything and then I found out that there are only three!?!? Well I suppose it just gives me a wonderful reason to turn on the bell notifications and wait excitedly for the next one. You've done an amazing job so far and your current subscriber count is no reflection of the hundreds of thousands of people who I'm sure will endlessly adore your video essays. On a note actually related to the video: I totally agree that olives parents are the best movie parents around. I aspire to be as amazing as Dill is in this film. Also Amanda Bynes is a terribly underrated actress, she crushes her role here and honestly all of her mid 2000s roles. Now i have to go watch this movie again! aghhh

I subscribed when you reviewed The Mentalist, one of the best shows on TV ever. You've just gone on from there. Bravo

Also: loved how you informed all the spoilers in the beginning, that was awesome! and the visuals too, the way you edited it was on point!

You have a very easy way about your analysis. You cut to the core of things and offer up prime examples of what you’re talking about out with a delivery that I wish was more common. Keep up the great work.

Another great one!! I love your voice and your writing is just so good. I’ll watch anything you create just to hear your thoughts-it’s nice to get a break from the tediousness of my own.

Your last video popped up on my suggested a few weeks ago and I watched it and thought it was great, so when this one showed up I naturally clicked on it. I am completely blown away when I find out your this little channel with three videos only. They were so well done I would have thought you’ve been putting these out for years! Keep making these video essays you are a natural and great at it. Years from now I can be like hey I was in Sloan Stowe’s first 2000 subscribers 😆👊

thank you for posting this! i always loved this movie as a teen but never knew exactly why. it’s just so beautiful. thank you

I loved this movie growing up and I couldn't be more jealous about the relationship Olive has with her parents, like you said best on screen parents ever. Thank you for spending time on this analysis, I really liked it!

I love this movie with all my heart and have rewatched it many times over the years since its release. I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this and you’ve done it so much justice I can’t wait to continue to watch this channel grow!

I love this movie so much. I was so obsessed with it when it came out and made me feel good when I had my very own easy a experience. Thanks for marking this video. You’ve put in words what I couldn’t have.

i’m LOVING your stuff!! these videos are so high quality and insightful! keep it up!!!!!!

I love the hilarious movie commentarys from people like dylan is in trouble but I also really love these video essays that are just so well done and thought out

Are Olive's movie references so obscure? They are classic teen movies from the 80s. The target demo of teens would not have known them in 2010? lol I feel old, they don't feel so obscure. But nonetheless awesome! Im glad it introduced you to Say Anything. Love this deep dive! Easy A is one of my fave movies in this genre and I def think it's still underappreciated. I agree the parents in it are some of the best parents ever to be depicted in a teen film and basically I also want Stanley Tucci to be my dad.

Incredible video essay. Subscribed! Can't wait to watch more.

so happy to see someone talk about this movie in a way that resnates with me so much! easy a was one of my absolute favorite teen dramas when i was a teen, but i could never really put into words why that was the case! so thank you for this!

I looooove watching Emma go from Easy A to Poor Things. It feels like they really help embody her growth as an actress, but she’s still funny, bold and against the grain. She’s phenomenal.

justice for suckerpunch i did appreciate this video though. i wish they were more overt with the queer crush in the movie. it definitely breaks down the desire to classify rhiannon as a mean girl.

thank you for producing this great essay! i've rewatched this movie countless times, and now i get to watch it again with a new perspective! thanks

Just another person on RU-vid echoing how great your content has been and while I appreciate the quality I think what really has made you stand out to me is the lens through which you are analyzing. I can't put anything official to it but I think you have a unique outlook/voice and I genuinely want to hear more.

I don't know if you have seen suckerpunch yet, but it actually is very good! It's pretty deep and actually has some good themes.

"If that's out connection, I should just date everyone in school" That line made me laugh out loud! Really good stuff! I was about 30 when this came out. I remember liking it quite s bit, and found it very enjoyable. Eh though I might not be the target audience. I just liked Olive, the quippy dialogue, and its charm. I never picked up on the fact that Rhiannon was in love with Olive when I saw it. But hearing you say it now does makes sense. It honestly makes me like the movie more. Kinda wanna see it again now. Thanks for an interesting video!

Hands down one of my favorite movies. Thank you for making the video. It brought me more insight into it and it just made all the better.

I cant believe this is only the 3rd video on this channel - your videos are so well put together !

I totally get the opinion of SuckerPunch not being a good movie, but I do honk if you did a deep dive into it and the symbolism within the movie, a deeper appreciation would develop for it. I think it could have been done differently in a way that portrayed the message more clearly but it’s still super interesting. Idk I did a deep dive on it during quarantine and it definitely changed my perspective of it 🤷🏻‍♀️ Super love your vids!

I bought this movie on iTunes back in the day so I could watch on my iPod touch… such a throwback! I love this movie

Ugh this is my new favorite video essay, incredible!

Darn it, I really like your analyses, they are so good and thorough, and they always make sense.

Ahhh I love this movie, and I love your video on this movie! Thank you for this. As someone with parents I didn't feel supported by....I'm particularly envious of Olive's parents, especially when it released and I was still in my senior year of high school.