Day 1 - Easy A
★★★★★★★★✩✩
So I’m easing my way in by starting with a film that I was actually pretty excited to see, rather than one for which I begrudgingly accept my ignorance might pose an issue. This one’s not so much an established classic as something so prominent online that I was very curious to see what the fuss was all about.
It was one of those rare occasions when I really felt the attention was justified. To me, it was kind of what Mean Girls - which I also saw long after its release - ought to have been. I adored this film. There was nothing massively ground-breaking or even complex about the cinematography or anything, but it was very, very enjoyable. Genuinely funny throughout, with characters that I actually warmed to which is rare for the genre. Olive wasn’t only likeable, but was interesting. She adhered to the typical high-school-RomCom structure of a smart, unnoticed teen with a ‘kooky’ family who slowly becomes the talk of the school and catches the eye of the prettiest boy in sight, but she did so in ways that made me forget I’d seen that concept a thousand times before. The film didn’t shy away from the established cliche’s of the genre, which I actually really admire, but acknowledged them, and was just defiant enough to feel fresh.
Everything about the film was strong; writing, soundtrack, performance, supporting characters (especially the central family, who I loved), and when it ended I was left wishing it was at least half an hour longer. So I’d call that an all round success. If there’s anyone left in the world who hasn’t seen this film, then you really should.
