Most critics find Easy A a smart, funny teen comedy, with praise clustering around its dialogue and Emma Stone’s lead performance. Her comic timing, charm and sympathy for adolescent confusion draw approval even from reviewers who find the writing uneven. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson also earn praise as Olive’s parents, while the film’s attention to high-school reputations and its references to earlier teen comedies help distinguish it for its supporters.
The reservations concern how well that wit holds up: several reviews find the later stretches less focused, the gossip implausible or the balance between recognisable adolescence and fantasy uncertain. The spread is fairly wide, despite the positive majority. Slant Magazine objects to the retreat from literary themes into feel-good resolutions, while the Los Angeles Times finds the comedy overworked and short of its intended sharpness; both still acknowledge Stone’s appeal.