You Again Review
Do you remember your bullies in high school? Marni (Kristen Bell) sure remembers hers: Joanna (Odette Yustman), head cheerleader with the nickname “J-J,” or "Satan's spawn" as she called her. A few years pass, and Marni is now a successful PR practitioner. Upon returning home for her brother’s wedding, she finds out that he is about to marry … Joanna! Marni’s mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) tells her to not get caught up in it, but she soon discovers that Joanna’s aunt (Sigourney Weaver) was her rival in high school. Let the rivalries ensue once again.
Such is the plot of the new film You Again, which could have been much more enjoyable given the cast involved.
There’s nothing particularly terrible with “You Again,” but there’s nothing particularly amazing about it either. The big problem here is that the film runs into is the same one that other modern-day comedies do: predictability. You already know what’s going to happen: the past between the central characters, the unrealistically immature behavior of the parties involved, the realization that they’ve been immature, and the sappy, almost too-good-to-be-true resolve. Unfortunately, you can predict most of the laughs as well. So why watch the movie?
It’s okay for passing time, but if there’s any real motivation to watch this movie, it’s the ensemble cast. While Bell capably anchors the film, the real MVPs here are Curtis and Weaver. Both actresses play off of each other nicely and put all they can into the bland and clichéd material. Curtis invokes her unusual yet functional style of physical comedy. Yustman is surprisingly good, especially her “mean girl” scenes, and Betty White’s work as Grandma Bunny is fun and endearing, but when will we get to see her in a different kind of role? Speaking of old women in typical roles, Cloris Leachman gets a cameo too. It’s almost worthy of an eye-roll, but she pulls it off fairly well.
Regardless of the capable cast, Andy Fickman should have been able to do more with them despite the script’s shortcomings. What results here is a predictable yet occasionally humorous film that isn’t terrible despite being fairly forgettable.
Rating: 4/10
You Again
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Written by: Moe Jelline
Starring: Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver
