I generally write and reflect on teen television, sort of ignoring that sister genre, the teen movie. I tend not to review films, partly just because I don’t watch as many. And things I do watch tend not to be current and on anyone else’s mind. But since this is my space, and no one can possibly call me out on it, I can go ahead and review things that came out years ago, if I want to.
Today I finally watched Easy A, the 2010 tribute to The Scarlett Letter, Emma Stone, and high school reputations. It’s a charming teen movie about reputations and sexual activity (or the lack of it) in high school. I have a few quibbles with the film, as for instance, the rumour mill depicted is cartoonishly evil, fellow teens comically pious and judgemental, and bad things are mostly not shown to happen, but instead we are told that they happen (for instance being bullied for being gay, although never shown, we are assured happens every day). In any case, it’s a cute film about a smart girl who ends up in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, references a lot of 80s teen movies, and finally gets to kiss her crush.
All that to say none of this is why I felt like writing about this movie.
My absolutely favourite parts of Easy A were any and all scenes featuring Stanley Tucci and/or Patricia Clarkson as Olive’s (Emma Stone’s) parents. Parents are possibly the most under-appreciated characters in teen movies. They have the power to inspire sympathy, anger, rebellion. They frame the lives of the young people we’re supposed to be rooting for. These are the people who have supposedly created our main characters! And yet, in general no one cares about the parents. Superbad doesn’t even have any parents on screen. Parents can be the butt of jokes for being too out of touch, for trying not to be out of touch, for being too strict or too lenient, too strange or too normal. Parents can be frustratingly hypocritical, totally absent, or bizarrely encouraging of teen misbehaviour. Parents come in all shapes and colours, and they all have their quirks.
But never have I encountered two more adorable, endearing parents as Rosemary and Dill Penderghast. My descriptions cannot possibly do them justice, so please, just hear this: If you have no other reason to watch this light-hearted teen comedy (like some desire to see Emma Stone dress like a high end stripper, or an inability to let anything set in high school pass you by) do it for the parents. Their roles are tragically small, given how absolutely wonderful they are, but honestly, thanks Easy A, this family just made my day.
