"I wanna ride off on a lawn-mower with Patrick Dempsey."-"Easy A"
This is probably the best 80s high school movie. Not only is the plot far-fetched, but it is also completely real and believable! I mean, can you believe that a nerd like Ronald Miller (a young and sexy and hot in a nerdy kind of way Patrick Dempsey) would pay top of the social hierarchy cheerleader Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson in a flawless role) a thousand bucks for a month to be his girlfriend?!?! Hell no, you won't! But looking at his poor, earnest face, you believe him, just like Cindy, because let's face it, we've all wanted to be popular once. Some, like me, grow out of it while some, like Ronald, learn the hard way.
The plot is so very average, but so very perfect. You know that Cindy's gonna fall for Ronald, who's gonna let the popularity get to his head and become a schmuck. You also know that Ronald's gonna lose all his nerd friends because he's too busy hanging out and later lording over all the popular kids, who never gave a damn about him before. You also know that sometime near the end of the movie, Ronald's gonna eventually redeem himself, and make everyone take a hard look at themselves. And oh yes, EVERYBODY knows that Cindy and Ronald are gonna patch things up and become a real couple.
Then why does everybody love it so much?
I suppose it's because of the fabulous dialogues and acting. And maybe, because even though you know the whole story, you still want to feel your heart beating when you realize that Cindy has fallen in love with the geek and the geek doesn't even realize it, or maybe because everyone in the movie is SO real. Every character can possibly exist in the real world: Ronald, with his ambitions to be popular; Cindy, who always falls in love at the wrong time; Babs, Patricia and all the other cool kids, who will follow just about anything and anyone and not hesitate to walk all over them the next minute; Kenneth and the nerds, who were self-confessed outcasts and okay with it. I read comments on IMDb that some people thought that the movie was a documentary on their high school in the 80s. And now, in the 21st century, I don't thunk anything much has changed. Even in my school, you can find Cindy, Ronald, Kenneth, etc.
Before I forget, HELLLOOOOO hottie Patrick Dempsey ;) Before this movie, I'd only watched him in Enchanted, Sweet Home Alabama and Made of Honor. Nice roles, but also dweeby roles. But as Ronald Miller, he gives one of the best performances ever. Even though I started hating Ronald right from the break-up scene to the scene when he apologises to Kenneth, but I still would date Ronald Miller if given the chance!
Another thing I liked about the movie: Amanda Peterson's acting. Seriously, that girl was fantastic! Just looking at her face will make you want to hold your heart during some scenes. You feel sorry for her at the end of the airport graveyard date; you want to slap Ronald too in the break-up scene; you feel disgusted with everyone at the dance; you feel bitter when Bobby breaks up with her and she catches Ronald in the bathroom with a random girl. The great thing is that Amanda makes you feel it, and I personally think that if some other actress had played Cindy Mancini, the effect would have been reduced by half. My favourite scene? Undoubtedly, the last scene, when Amanda leaves her cool friends to be with Ronald. The nervous excitement shown by her was superb. And yes, oh yes, I do want that lawn mower ride into the sunset!
And, so yes, I would totally recommend this movie to seekers of perfection. And those who don't like this movie can just, I don't know, be jealous or something.
Favourite character: Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson)
Don't-miss-it scene: The last scene!
Honourable mention: Amanda Peterson's outfits- FLAWLESS. And better than Cher's outfits in Clueless.
Best song from the soundtrack: "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles
