cinematic roots of: ‘Easy A’

No movie springs from a vacuum. There are always influences from past examples of the genre, from the previous work of the filmmakers and stars, even from similar films that don’t quite work. If you want to understand where a movie is coming from, take a look at where it’s coming from.

In Easy A, Emma Stone -- in a story based on the classic novel The Scarlet Letter -- learns how cruel teenagers can be when she pretends to be the sluttiest slut their high school has ever known. This flick sprang from (among other films):

• Clueless (1995), in which Alicia Silverstone -- in a story based on a classic Jane Austen novel -- acts as matchmaker for her friends while her own romantic life founders.

• Mean Girls (2004), in a which a smart kid (Lindsay Lohan) runs awry of the popular clique at her new high school.

• The Scarlet Letter (1995), a ludicrous adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel starring Demi Moore; the movie is referred to jokingly in Easy A.

• Can’t Hardly Wait (1998), set at a high school graduation party at which -- among other momentous events -- Seth Green hopes to lose his virginity.