青春喜剧片：《绯闻计划》

Directed by Will Gluck, the comedy stars Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, and Amanda Bynes.

The movie's basic plot is that a girl pretends to sleep with her gay* friend so he can avoid being teased* for being gay. This of course turns into a business where she pretends to sleep with lots of guys who are looking for a social status boost*.

"Easy A," a teen sex comedy with no actual sex, is an upside-down* parody* of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." In the role of its high-school Hester Prynne is Emma Stone, the sly, husky heroine of last year's surprise hit "Zombieland."

Stone plays Olive, the kind of quick-witted teen that the educational system produces in ever-diminishing* numbers. More knowing and sophisticated* than others her age, she is not immune to* the pressure of peers* and the fear of being labeled a loser. Under duress* by a nosy friend (Aly Michalka) to tell the details of her birthday weekend, a rather ordinary affair mainly spent jumping on her bed to the tune of Natasha Bedingfield's pop song "Pocket Full of Sunshine," she makes up a fictional* account of losing her virginity* to a boy from a junior college across town.

Word of Olive's deflowering* spreads with fast speed, aided by the rumor-mongering of an eavesdropper* (Amanda Bynes). Suddenly branded a tramp* on account of a seemingly harmless little lie, Olive chooses to embrace her newly tarnished* reputation and put it to good use.

In a social environment where even the most awkward pariah* can earn respect and even admiration from members of the upper castes for having gone All the Way, Olive pretends to make herself the Mother Theresa of sluts*, helping boys in need of a reputation boost. And she resolves to look the part, too, dressed that way and affixing* the letter "A" to her chest.

There are limits to Easy A's Scarlet Letter conceit*, overly Glee-ful tone, forced repartee*, and pop-culture references. Director Gluck must be grateful to have found Stone, who handles the role with charm and verve* and a certain effortless appeal that keeps us engaged. (SD-Agencies)