Olive Pendergast is a normal, nothing-special-about-her high school student"¦until she tells one small lie. To get her nagging friend off her back, Olive tells her a story about losing her virginity, unknowingly changing her life and social status for good. She suddenly realizes that everyone in high school is in the business of fitting in, and Olive becomes the enabler. As she begins to reap the financial benefits of helping others lie to their peers, she also begins to reap the consequences of her new reputation "“an ostracism paralleling only that of Hester Prynne in "˜The Scarlet Letter'.
The typical teenage drama exposed here calls to mind the likes of Mean Girls while the witty writing and well-timed delivery is reminiscent of Juno. Emma Stone, who has been steadily making a name for herself on the silver screen since Superbad, does not disappoint. Her unique look and voice coupled with her snappy remarks make for a believable character with which we have no problem identifying. She is more intelligent and far more analytical than the average teenager, and her scenes opposite Marianne- played by Amanda Bynes- show just that.
On that note, Amanda Bynes is magnificently annoying in her role, which is dead on as the perky, perfect, judgmental class leader. Providing additional balance in Olive's life are the coolest, hippiest California parents that I only wish I had -Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. These two are simply genius. In every one of their scenes, they will have the audience laughing so hard they will likely miss the next clever line. Needless to say, it's a group effort here, and the entire ensemble is outstanding.
While the entire cast brings their comedic best, I think the loudest praise must go to the writers for keeping the latest in a line of teen comedies fresh and original. While there are constant references to "˜The Scarlet Letter' and 1980s cult films, Emma Stone delivers them all with believable intelligence and admirable spunk.
The story is great, the acting is right on target, and the costumes just add even more flare. I don't say this often, but I will be awaiting this one to hit DVD so that I have it for on-demand viewing.
