History Film / EasyA

** References are made, complete with clips, to the many films of Creator/JohnHughes and other teen movies of 1980s (namely, to ''Film/SixteenCandles'', ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'''', Film/SayAnything'', ''Film/CantBuyMeLove''), with several of their more climactic scenes re-enacted in the film; ''three at once'' are referred in the final sequence alone - with Todd holding speakers up like Creator/JohnCusack in ''Say Anything'', holding the fist up in the air like Creator/JuddNelson in ''The Breakfast Club'' and riding a lawnmower like Creator/PatrickDempsey in ''Can't Buy Me Love''.

** And with ''Film/CantBuyMeLove'', it's more than just the above - actually, the entire major plot device of "buying popularity by paying a girl for her to pretend to be intimate with you" can be said to be borrowed from that film.

** Her awful guitar playing followed by her proclamation "Not one lesson!" is a ShoutOut to Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff (a brief scene where he's badly playing the clarinet).

** References are made, complete with clips, to the many films of Creator/JohnHughes and other teen movies of 1980s (namely, to ''Film/SixteenCandles'', ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'''', Film/SayAnything'', ''Film/CantBuyMeLove''), with several of their more climactic scenes re-enacted in the film; ''three at once'' are referred in the final sequence alone - with Todd holding speakers up like Creator/JohnCusack in ''Say Anything'', holding the fist up in the air like Creator/JuddNelson in ''The Breakfast Club'' and riding a lawnmower like Creator/PatrickDempsey in ''Can't But Me Love''.

** References are made, complete with clips, to the many films of Creator/JohnHughes and other teen movies of 1980s (namely, to ''Film/SixteenCandles'', ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'''', Film/SayAnything'', ''Film/CantBuyMeLove''), with several of their more climactic scenes re-enacted in the film's final sequence. And with the latter one, it's more than just that - actually, the entire major plot device of "buying popularity by paying a girl for her to pretend to be intimate with you" can be said to be borrowed from that film.

** References are made, complete with clips, to the many films of Creator/JohnHughes and other teen movies of 1980s (namely, to Film/SixteenCandles, Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff, Film/BreakfastClub, Film/SayAnything, Film/CantBuyMeLove), with several of their more climactic scenes re-enacted in the film's final sequence. And with the latter one, it's more than that - actually, the entire plot of "buying popularity by paying a girl for her to pretend to be intimate with you" can be said to be borrowed from that film.

** References are made, complete with clips, to the many films of Creator/JohnHughes, with several of their more climactic scenes re-enacted in the film.

** This may or may not have been intentional, but the actress who played the lead in the 1926 ''Film/TheScarletLetter'' was known to be loyal and a favorite to a man she called "[[NamesTheSame Mr. Griffith]]".

A 2010 teen comedy directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal (''Theatre/DogSeesGod''), and starring Creator/EmmaStone.

Clean-cut high schooler Olive Penderghast (Creator/EmmaStone) does not want to spend the weekend camping with her BestFriend Rhiannon (Creator/AlyMichalka) and her NewAgeRetroHippie family, so she explains that she has a date (with "George") and explains that he is a friend of her brother at college. Afterwards, when Rhiannon presses her for details, [[BathroomStallOfOverheardInsults she is overheard insinuating that she lost her virginity over the weekend.]]

** Lampshaded at least once;

* TheBeard: Olive for Brandon.

* BigYes: During the fake sex scene in the party.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Mrs. Griffith.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Easy_a_australian_7159.jpg]]

Clean-cut high schooler [[DeadpanSnarker Olive Penderghast]] does not want to spend the weekend camping with her best friend Rhiannon [[NewAgeRetroHippie and her family]], so she explains that she has a date (with "George") and explains that he is a friend of her brother at college. Afterwards, when Rhiannon presses her for details, [[BathroomStallOfOverheardInsults she is overheard insinuating that she lost her virginity over the weekend.]]

Rumors begin to spread and, after she spends an afternoon in detention with her gay friend Brandon, she agrees to pretend to have sex with him to help convince the school he is straight. Several boys learn what she has done and beg her to perform the same service for them, hoping to benefit from their "lost virginities". This eventually turns into a full-fledged business, lucrative for Olive and socially beneficial for the boys, but her new reputation as [[ReallyGetsAround tramp/slut/skank/etc.]] gets her the attention of the local [[HolierThanThou Christian club]]. They want to "save" Olive, but also feel that it is vitally important to get her the hell out of the school first.

* AlphaBitch: Marianne Bryant. First exaggerated, then lampshaded (at one point, she holds a meeting in a place called Libbey Park), then deconstructed.

* CoolLoser: Olive.

--->"I thought fake losing my virginity would have been more special. Creator/JudyBlume should have prepared me for that."

** Also, Mr. Griffith.
** And Todd to a degree.
* DefiledForever: Played with. Olive initially discovers that her reputation has advantages, but eventually finds that it also has drawbacks, even in a liberal-minded modern setting. In the end, she concludes that [[spoiler:her sex life is none of anyone else's damn business, apart from the guy who might be involved]].

* TheDragon: Nina.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Rhiannon.]]

* TheFundamentalist: Marianne.

* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Thoroughly explored.

* MeaningfulName : Not only is Olive an anagram of "I Love" [[LampshadeHanging (which she does explicitly spell out in one scene)]], her whole name is an anagram of "I Love Pretend Shag".

* MrFanservice: Todd gets a few shirtless scenes, including one where he is dripping wet having just climbed out of a pool.
* MsFanservice: Olive and Rhiannon.

* OfCorsetsSexy: Olive. So very much.

'''Dill:''' Nice word play, you must be related to me.\\

* RedOniBlueOni: Rhiannon and Olive.
* RightThroughTheWall: Sets up the plot.

* SlutShaming: The story is built on this.
* SmugSnake: Marianne and her friend, Nina.
* SnowballLie: What sets the plot into motion.

* StepfordSmiler: Marianne.

* TakeThat: Against the Creator/DemiMoore film version of ''Literature/TheScarletLetter''.

* TeensAreMonsters: A key theme, though there are several exceptions.

* UrbanLegendLoveLife: Olive's is the entire plot.
* VirginShaming: Played with; although no actual sex is had, Olive starts trading on her reputation to allow guys to ''pretend'' they had sex with her in order to boost their standing around school.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: When Olive opens Brandon's gift, the note reads "Just in case you don't shop at Target. Then you can go screw yourself." The box contains a Target gift card, and a cylindrical object wrapped in tissue paper. It starts ''vibrating'' in the box a moment later.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Marianne, which would make her an [[ArmoredClosetGay Armored Closet Lesbian]].

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler:Micah and Mrs. Griffith are sleeping together. Micah's dating Marianne (not to mention a ''student''), Mrs. Griffith is, of course, married to Mr. Griffith. When she gives him chlamydia, he lies and says he got it from Olive, which wrecks Olive's newly-forged friendship/truce with Marianne.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Olive may be a DeadpanSnarker extraordinaire, but she's a decent enough person
* KidsAreCruel: A key theme, though there are plenty of exceptions in the cast.

* {{Adorkable}}: Olive, mainly during her date at the Lobster Shack.

* NoBisexuals: Brandon, who is known to be gay, is suddenly assumed to be straight after sleeping with a girl. Averted with Olive's parents.

* BiTheWay:
** Olive's dad. He claims (possibly joking) he was "[[TooMuchInformation gay for a while]]" when he was younger, but is now HappilyMarried to a woman and has two children with her.
** Olive's mom, too.
--->"[[TooMuchInformation I slept with a lot of people... mostly guys]]"

* NoBisexuals: Brandon, who is known to be gay, is suddenly assumed to be straight after sleeping with a girl. Averted with [[BiTheWay Olive's parents.]]

* HeadButtOfLove: During Olive and Brandon's "sex scene." Although completely platonic considering one of them was gay.

* EdibleThemeNaming: Everyone in the Penderghast family is named after food. Olive, her mother Rosemary, her father Dill and brother Chip. Her older brother, who is never seen in the movie, is named Kale.

* EarWorm: In-Universe example: "Pocketful of Sunshine," by Natasha Bedingfield. Olive's grandmother sends her a birthday card that plays this song, which Olive initially says she hates. Its earworming becomes a RunningGag through the movie.

* OrangeBlueContrast

** Olive herself counts as an example once she gets her reputation. While she's her usual [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic self]] for the most part, she's a decent enough person deep down