You Again review

If Betty White can't save the movie, it's a safe bet the rest of the film isn't looking promising. "You Again" starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Sigourney Weaver fell flat of the expectations for a cast of this caliber.  

In the film, Bell plays Marni, the center of ridicule in high school.  After years of enriching her self-esteem and moving past those dreadful days by becoming a successful public relations executive, she comes home for her brother's wedding weekend.  Little did Marni know that her brother's precious fiance is Joanna (Odette Yustman), the girl who single-handedly made her life a living hell in high school.  

To make things worse, Joanna's aunt Ramona (Weaver) had her share of conflict with Marni's mother (Curtis) back in their high school days.  The weekend is filled with petty competitions, with some that turn into hardcore brawls.

"You Again" is precisely the type of film that you want to love so badly, but it just can't hold its weight.  With cliché after cliché, the script by Moe Jelline is slightly laughable for absolutely the wrong reasons.

In theory, the film had some things working for it. We've seen the movies where girls are enemies in high school.  What we haven't seen is one where their parents still hold those same grudges. Not to mention, "You Again" has a pretty stellar cast. But where did their years of acting experience go?  As you sit through an hour and forty-five minutes, you can't help but wonder.  

Curtis and Weaver are long-time veterans of the big screen, and although they were probably among the best actors in the film, neither were their usual brilliant.  As for Bell, she's extremely endearing as the tormented Marni.  She is witty and sharp, but for whatever reason she seems to once again choose another dud of a film. Yustman, meanwhile, is lucky she's hot.  She's pretty lovable for that reason alone, but her annoyability factor is overpowering.

The most comical and entertaining performances really come from the minor characters: Kyle Bornheimer, who plays Joanna's ex, and Kristin Chenoweth, the kooky wedding planner, Georgia King.  

"You Again" doesn't offer a lot more laughs than you saw in the previews and it falls into the category of films that were fun for the actors to film but not for the audience to watch.