You Again: Movie Review

Celebrating 10 years of collaboration, director Andy Fickman and actress Kristen Bell team up for this weekend’s Touchstone Pictures release, You Again. The family comedy sports a fabulous cast including Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, and Kristen Chenoweth plus a handful of cameos – and they’re all here to help you revisit the demons of your adolescence. The film hits cinemas nationwide this Friday.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Andy Fickman
Writer: Moe Jelline
Producers: John Strauss, Eric Tannenbaum, Andy Fickman
Cast: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, Betty White, Victor Garber, Kristen Chenoweth

The Plot:

Upon returning home to NorCal for her brother’s wedding, Marni (Bell) learns that his fiance is her high school arch nemesis, Joanna (Yustman). She’s horrified/heartbroken and fully intends on not only destroying their engagement to save her brother from marrying the devil – but on getting her long overdue revenge. The juice gets thicker when we learn that Marni’s mom, Gail (Curtis) and Joanna’s aunt, Ramona (Weaver) also have a rocky high school history – and the wounds are still deep.

The Good:

Ensemble: Fickman hit the jackpot with this seasoned group of female comedians. The roles were obviously exaggerated for the sake of comedy, but they each possessed strong character specificity and arc – comedic timing was critical here, and because it’s an ensemble based film one bad performance could’ve but a huge damper on the overall quality of the project. Everyone brought their A-game – woo hoo!
Universal Appeal: You’ll find that the story itself is pretty outrageous and the wave of chaos these characters are swept under is clearly heightened – it’s Disney, let’s be real. But this idea that everyone in some capacity grapples with “demons” from their adolescence really strikes a chord. The teenage years are generally perceived as the toughest, and whether you’re 4 years out or 40 years out, it’s hard to forget the people who gave you a hard time (or made you feel more awkward than you already did).
Not Destroyed By Disney: The film is perfectly Disney-proof, if you will. But it still has an entertaining edge that can appeal to people who are looking for a little more than what can amuse their 11 year-olds. This is absolutely a family comedy – there’s something in it for everyone. Even your grandparents.

The Good/Bad:

Heads up: The film is precisely what the trailer makes it out to be. If you’re down for something you can take your little sister or parents to and get a few laughs, You Again is perfect. It’s light hearted and shouldn’t be taken for more than it is: a family comedy. Keep your expectations in that ball park and you won’t be disappointed.