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Easy A

92 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Emma Stone Olive Penderghast
Penn Badgley "Woodchuck" Todd
Amanda Bynes Marianne Bryant
Dan Byrd Brandon
Aly Michalka Rhiannon Abernathy
Thomas Haden Church Mr. Griffith
Lisa Kudrow Mrs. Griffith
Patricia Clarkson Rosemary Penderghast
Stanley Tucci Dill Penderghast
Cam Gigandet Micah
Malcolm McDowell Principal Gibbons
Bryce Clyde Jenkins Chip Penderghast
Fred Armisen Pastor Bryant
Jake Sandvig Anson

Easy A | The Rewatchables

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Producer credits not yet identified.

Casting What-Ifs

Logan Lerman as Brandon; Jennifer Lawrence as Olive

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:13Read transcript
  • Only two casting what-ifs were found.
  • Logan Lerman auditioned for Brandon, played by Dan Byrd, who is so perfect that Lerman would have been strange.
  • The fake-sex party ruse with Brandon is really weird but central to the movie.
  • Jennifer Lawrence auditioned for Olive, which checks out.
  • Lawrence probably could not hit the right frequencies: she is so at ease that high-school struggles would be unbelievable.
  • Insults roll off Stone, whereas with Lawrence a piece penetrates her shell, making the movie less fun and adding guilt.
  • Stone does goofy convincingly via physical comedy, whereas Lawrence's goofy can feel sloppy or like a regal person slumming it.
  • Some roles are for one and not the other; the hosts agree Stone could have done Silver Linings Playbook and Lawrence Crazy Stupid Love, but not Lawrence in La La Land, though she dances in Silver Linings.
  • Stone's knowing performativeness suits the numbers and webcam here and La La Land, while Lawrence is more instinctive and naturalistic; Hunger Games is the Lawrence role Stone could not do.
  • X-Men is another superhero role only Lawrence fits; Lawrence could maybe be Gwen Stacy, but Stone could not be in the X-Men new class.

Recasting Couch

Zendaya; Isabela Moner

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:02Read transcript
  • The host is at a loss for a recast.
  • Two ideas: Zendaya, who lives teenage hell in Euphoria and is underused in Spider-Man but has the confidence to make you believe she will be okay; and Florence Pugh, with some fire, at the risk of an Emma Stone impersonation. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Pugh is ruled out by one host who cannot separate her from Midsommar; Zendaya is called great.
  • Pugh seems up for every young-actress role and will always be the loathsome Amy from Little Women. — Juliet Litman
  • Counterpoint: Little Women is a justice-for-Amy movie, and that is what this role needs; the Zendaya idea is called really good.
  • A reboot or spin-off was reportedly announced about a year ago, unconfirmed.
  • Another pick: Isabela Moner (transcribed "Isabella Monair"), known for playing Dora, Instant Family and the second Sicario; accepted with "She's in."

Picking Nits

Eighth-grade flashback; mom's dress; party room offer; party scene; dark plea; 11th-grade sex as news; Facebook timeline

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:59Read transcript
  • Tied first nit: the heroine being so surprised that the character called Dan Humphreys remembers eighth grade, only about three years earlier.
  • Casting younger actors for the flashback but using Emma Stone's voice is also stupid.
  • Agreement: teen-movie flashbacks to sixth grade are hard to take, and the boy would obviously remember a failed closet kiss.
  • Nobody believes Patricia Clarkson's character owns the tiny hot dress the heroine says is her mom's.
  • No entitled rich girl would offer her own room for sex at the party. — Amanda Dobbins
  • The party scene is the trickiest, especially the don't-mess-up-my-sheets line; the sounds are unbelievable, though the ridiculousness is played for comedy over a heavy premise of a gay student pretending to be straight.
  • Brandon's plea that he does not know what he might do gets dark fast; the movie skirts darkness without going there.
  • An 11th grader having sex would not be big news.
  • Once the rumors are all over Facebook and adults know, it would be shut down in two days, not two weeks; the Facebook material is not as well done as the YouTube material.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Unseen college brother; source of the chlamydia

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:48:03Read transcript
  • Number one: why don't we meet her brother in college? Another host had not thought about it.
  • Question: who gave whom chlamydia in the movie, and is there a line saying who gave it to whom? — Shea Serrano
  • Answer: Micah's phone call says he does not care that she gave him chlamydia, then cuts to Lisa Kudrow on the other end; that raises where she got it, so she must have been cheating on Thomas Haden Church's character.
  • On first watch the call seemed to be to Marianne, echoing FCA members secretly having sex or drinking.
  • No questions: the movie sews things up tightly, so there is no worry about trauma for Olive or her fake partners. — Amanda Dobbins