Entertainment : \'Easy A\' takes on serious issues with humor

One of my criticisms about modern movies (and TV) is the utter lack of originality.

"The next one in the series is going to be called the 'Bourne Redundancy,'" I said to the lady at the video store while looking at one of the Bourne movies.

I also intensely dislike movies that contain lots of teenagers (including the last "Chimpmunks" movie, "Squeakuel." Most teen movies are as shallow and silly as Saturday morning sitcoms.

So I was very surprised Monday afternoon when -- while sitting a few rows in front of a group of church ladies -- I sat down to watch "Easy A."

It's a very good movie that uses lots of humor to discuss serious issues involving today's teenagers.

It's an adaptation -- and a defense -- of the famous "Scarlet Letter" novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Hawthorne, a descendant of one of the Salem, Mass., witch trial judges, took on the hypocrisy of the Puritan age with his 19th Century novel. The main character is required to wear a red A on her dress after being found with child and absent a husband.

'Easy A' begins at a high school in California, where the main character Olive, feels as anonymous as possible.

"Google Earth could not find me if I was a 10-story building," she said as the movie begins.

Olive's a virgin who no guys ever ask out. She spends her weekend at home, singing along with a greeting card.

But to appease her nosy companion (she does not deserve the label of "friend") Marianne, Olive sort of "admits" she spent the whole weekend with a college guy.

But Rhiannon, a preacher's kid and the hypocritic and hateful leader of a small group of religious students, overhears the conversation. She feels it's her duty to blab what she heard to the entire student body.

Soon, Olive has a reputation she does not deserve.

So, she decides to pretend to live up -- or as the case may be, down -- to that reputation. She begins to dress more provocatively and also begins to use her reputation to make money from guys who also want to establish a reputation of their own.

Along the way, Olive learns that while lying is not good, telling the truth for the wrong reason can be devastating. She also learns -- as most of us can remember quite clearly from high school -- that true friends are rare.

Olive longs for a 1980s high school experience, although those of us who went to high school in the 80s saw in "Easy A" many reminders of what was wrong with high school society 25 years ago.

Why you should go: The movie is a funny tale in which virtually everyone, with the exception of Mr. Griffith, the English teacher who is leading the class study of "The Scarlet Letter," is horribly messed up. It raises issues that parents and teens can and should discuss together.

What you should know before you go: Well, it's a movie about teens and sex. It's also a movie that takes a critical look at all of the different types of people, or perceived types. Whoever you saw yourself as being in high school, you will probably see yourself in a less-than-perfect light in "Easy A." And that's OK. You may not agree with every thing the producer of the movie seems to be trying to say. That's OK, too. The movie aims, I believe, to challenge everyone's thinking. And it does.

My favorite part: "Either you will do everything you have to do to fit in, or you will decide not to care."