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‘Easy A’ With Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins, and Shea Serrano

September 17, 2020 · Easy A (2010) · Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1:51:51 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Half-Assed Internet Research

Amanda Dobbins▶ 10:30Amanda Bynes didn't like her performance in Easy A and decided to stop being an actress because of it

Most Rewatchable Scene

Amanda Dobbins▶ 26:23The 'Knock on Wood' musical performance scene towards the end where Emma Stone shows her movie star quality
Amanda Dobbins▶ 33:57The 'Pocketful of Sunshine' greeting-card montage — 'the iconic... that's the Oscar reel' (loves the twat scene but won't vote against Pocketful of Sunshine).
Juliet Litman▶ 29:21The scene where Emma Stone tells her parents she used the word 'twat' and got sent to detention
Juliet Litman▶ 29:21The kitchen scene where Olive tells her parents she got sent to the principal for saying 'twat' — the Stone/Clarkson/Tucci guessing-game exchange ('this is my final answer').
Shea Serrano▶ 24:03The greeting card scene where Emma Stone plays the card over and over during the weekend montage
Shea Serrano▶ 30:29Praised the twat kitchen scene ('really good, really funny') and the Clarkson/Tucci supportive-parents chemistry, but stated no pick of his own inside this window (his greeting-card-scene nomination came just before it).

What's Aged the Best

Amanda Dobbins▶ 45:30Emma Stone's performance (acknowledging it will win multiple categories) and the webcam framing device for its accurate portrayal of teen technology use
Juliet Litman▶ 41:01Ojai as a location (now trendy in Architectural Digest), making fun of California hippies, Emma Stone's wardrobe, and the combination of analog signs with webcam narration
Shea Serrano▶ 49:03The sign-holding device that structures the movie, after initially picking Emma Stone's performance but then changing his answer

Joey Pants Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:12:07Cam Gigandet — Cam Gigandet (agrees with another host's pick)
Juliet Litman▶ 1:12:16Dan Byrd — Dan Bird (who plays Brandon, the number two)
Shea Serrano▶ 1:10:14Cam Gigandet — Cam Gigandet (who plays Micah)

Dion Waiters Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:19:52Patricia Clarkson — Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci (co-award)
Juliet Litman▶ 1:20:51Lisa Kudrow
Shea Serrano▶ 1:18:36Patricia Clarkson

Casting What-Ifs

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:22:38Zendaya for the Olive role (same confidence; you'd trust she'll be okay — it would be a different movie but could work updated), and Florence Pugh as a second idea ('she brings some of the fire', a justice-for-Amy energy).
Juliet Litman▶ 1:24:39Was at a loss for who could replace Emma Stone ('the movie lives or dies by' her); endorsed the Zendaya idea as 'really, really good', pushed back on Pugh (forever the loathsome Amy from Little Women), and accepted Isabela Moner ('She's in').
Shea Serrano▶ 1:24:51Isabela Moner (Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Instant Family, Sicario 2) — 'she can do all of the stuff that you need for this person to be able to do... I'm trying to buy up all of the Isabella stock that I can'; vetoed Pugh (can't separate her from Midsommar), approved Zendaya.

Apex Mountain

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:27:01La La Land — Not technically Emma Stone's apex mountain, but she doesn't get to her apex mountain without this movie. Her actual apex is after winning the Oscar for La La Land.
Juliet Litman▶ 1:27:45La La Land — Not Emma Stone's apex mountain - that's probably La La Land. Emma Stone's fame would have happened anyway because she's undeniable, but this started her career.
Shea Serrano▶ 1:28:28La La Land — Emma Stone's apex mountain is La La Land - when she walked out with that Oscar statue, she could get any movie made immediately after.

Best Quote

Juliet Litman▶ 1:39:02Multiple Olive quotes including the improvised 'If I was the gossip girl in Sweet Valley of the Traveling Pants' line and 'the accelerated velocity of terminological inexactitude' for how gossip travels
Shea Serrano▶ 1:40:59The bookstore scene where the clerk says about the Bible: 'Oh, that's in bestsellers right next to Twilight'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Juliet Litman▶ 1:48:18Why don't we get to meet her brother in college?
Shea Serrano▶ 1:48:40Who gave who chlamydia in the movie? (Later clarified that Lisa Kudrow gave it to the male character, but questions where she got it)

Who Won the Movie

Juliet Litman▶ 1:51:06Emma Stone
Shea Serrano▶ 1:51:16Emma Stone — Emma Stone (agreed with another host)

Movies Referenced (49)

La La Land (2016)

11 mentions · Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins, Shea Serrano▶ 7:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Twilight (2008)

9 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Shea Serrano, Juliet Litman▶ 40:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mean Girls (2004)

8 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman▶ 7:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clueless (1995)

7 mentions · Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins, Shea Serrano▶ 15:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cruella (2021)

7 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Shea Serrano▶ 6:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

She's All That (1999)

5 mentions · Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano▶ 18:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Superbad (2007)

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano▶ 2:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

101 Dalmatians (1996)

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 6:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bring It On (2000)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano, Juliet Litman▶ 22:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

2 mentions · Juliet Litman▶ 1:09:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Friends with Benefits (2011)

2 mentions · Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:27:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marvin's Room (1996)

2 mentions · Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano▶ 1:46:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (3)

John Hughes

12 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Gluck

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman · Known for Anyone But You, Peter Rabbit, Friends with Benefits▶ 12:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mary Works

1 mentions · · Known for Contact▶ 0:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (46)

Amanda Bynes

16 mentions · Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano, Amanda Dobbins · Known for She's the Man, What a Girl Wants▶ 7:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patricia Clarkson

16 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for The Station Agent, Far from Heaven, The Green Mile▶ 8:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cam Gigandet

13 mentions · Shea Serrano, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Twilight, Never Back Down▶ 1:10:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lisa Kudrow

11 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano▶ 8:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Molly Ringwald

10 mentions · Shea Serrano, Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink▶ 16:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Tucci

10 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for Big Night, Spotlight, The Lovely Bones▶ 8:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Malcolm McDowell

7 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Shea Serrano, Juliet Litman · Known for A Clockwork Orange▶ 1:08:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alicia Silverstone

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for Clueless, Batman & Robin, Blast from the Past▶ 16:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Florence Pugh

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for Lady Macbeth▶ 1:23:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rachel McAdams

6 mentions · Shea Serrano, Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman · Known for The Notebook, Mean Girls, Red Eye▶ 17:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julia Stiles

5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Juliet Litman, Shea Serrano · Known for 10 Things I Hate About You, Save the Last Dance, Silver Linings Playbook▶ 19:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amy Poehler

4 mentions · Juliet Litman, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Inside Out▶ 1:13:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

Aaron Sorkin

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for A Few Good Men, The Trial of the Chicago 7▶ 1:40:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Greg Berlanti

1 mentions · Juliet Litman · Known for Green Lantern▶ 40:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judy Blume

1 mentions · · Known for Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.▶ 0:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗