Blu-Ray Review: Tepid ‘You Again’ Wastes Talented Cast

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CHICAGO – It may be a sign of my age, but I get more joy out of seeing Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis acting again in the mediocre “You Again” than anything to do with the generation below them in the film (Kristin Bell, Odette Yustman), recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. The sitcomish movie in which they’re featured is well below their talents but just seeing Curtis and Weaver back in the spotlight provides enough joy to keep the proceedings from sliding too far down the scale.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

Marnie (Bell of “Veronica Mars”) was an absolute mess in high school. She had acne issues, an awful haircut, and no style. Consequently, she was tormented by the popular girls in school, led by the uber-gorgeous Joanna (Odette Yustman of “The Unborn” and upcoming FOX sitcom “Breaking In”). Years later, Marnie has gotten her act together and become very successful but she finds the demons of her past reborn when her brother Will (Jimmy Wolk of “Lone Star”) brings home his new bride-to-be…Joanna.

You Again
Photo credit: Disney

As Marnie tries to deal with the fact that Joanna is pretending to not remember how much she tormented the poor girl, her mother (Curtis) discovers that Joanna’s aunt (Weaver) is her high school nemesis as well. The two women used to be friends but clearly had a competitive nature that got out of control and finds itself rekindled as their loved ones prepare to get married. Victor Garber, Kristin Chenoweth, and, of course, Betty White find a way to get sucked into the mediocrity.

Director Andy Fickman (“The Game Plan,” “Race to Witch Mountain”) just pushes “You Again” forward like a bad sitcom, never finding anything relatable or even all that interesting in its awkward set-up. The movie is surprisingly dull, feeling much longer than its running time. Having said that, there’s a difference between dull and awful. At least “You Again” never offends with the level of stupidity that could have greeted this material. The only reason for that is the remarkbly talented cast, one that’s too good for this material.

You know how great people like Weaver, Curtis, White, and Chenoweth are, but even the younger cast comes out of this mediocrity untarnished. Bell is actually more appealing than she has been recently (I’d watch this four times again before sitting through “Burlesque” or “When in Rome” again) and Yustman is the rare combination of model-caliber looks with comic timing. It’s too bad Fickman couldn’t find the energy in this piece because he had the cast.

Special Features:
o 11 Deleted Scenes
o Following Fickman: On Set With The Director
o Blooper Dance Party
o Ask The Cast
o Funny Or Die
o DVD Copy

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]