Easy A

Right now you can watch Easy A in Australia on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the US on YouTube TV — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Emma Stone — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.

Easy A is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The jokes in Easy A land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Olive, an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her classmates are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favorite teacher and the distracted guidance counselor. With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents and a little help from a long-time crush, Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumor mill once and for all. The chemistry Emma Stone and Penn Badgley bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. Easy A came out in 2010. The timing in Easy A is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, Easy A respects your intelligence. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Emma Stone is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.