Film Title:
My Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Starring:
Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Alyson Michalka, Stanley Tucci
Synopsis:
A clean-cut high school student relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.
My Review:
I gave this film a chance because I had heard good things from a lot of people and when I saw that Emma Stone had got a leading role in a comedy I had to give it a try; She was brilliant in House Bunny and Superbad.
She certainly doesn’t let down in this quick witted and quirky comedy with the same feel as most John Hughes films (With a lot of references too) As much as it seems like it is just another high school comedy, it isn’t, its script, acting and storyline make it stand out from the rest.
The directing isn’t anything special but the title sequences are cleverly done.
A lot of the other actors impress in this film. Some of the smaller supporting characters have the funniest lines. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are both outstanding and hilarious as her quirky parents. Lisa Kudrow finally impresses with her performance as the unusual school psychiatrist, in my opinion she has struggled to be funny in anything since Friends.
The rest of the cast don’t really stand out from the rest but do a good enough job.
It was disappointing that Emma didn’t get any recognition from the Academy as you can tell that she has a bright future ahead of her. Her delivery of the well written lines are perfect and almost seem real and improvised.
Verdict:
If you like comedies about teenagers and their dilemmas in high school, but want to see something a little bit different and original with some real big laughs, then this is the film for you.
All links courtesy of IMDB, Poster courtesy of IMP Awards and Crown Logo courtesy of NobleKing
