MOVIE REVIEW - You Again

When you go to the movies there are a few goals potentially in play.

You can learn something. You can laugh, or cry, or be scared. There is virtually no end to the possibilities, or the range of emotions you can feel. That's where I would like to congratulate the makers of the new "comedy" You Again. They have successfully made a movie that makes you feel nothing. Except anxious to go home or go ask for refund.

You Again stars Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White and Kristen Chenoweth, and a bunch of other mid level stars, and a few clever quick cameos too. Nice cast you say? All horribly miscast I say. Except Betty White. (Whose part is so tiny, almost not worth it.) This is the story of high school rivalry gone wild. Bell plays Marni, who was tormented by a local bully girl in high school. Years later, that bully girl is going to marry her older brother. Is Marni over it? Can she cope? And oh, yeah as luck would have it, Marni's mom, (Curtis) meets up with HER high school rival who is the bride-to-be aunt (Weaver).

Huge problem first. This movie is NOT FUNNY. Bell is NOT FUNNY. Kristen Bell is certainly lovely and likable enough, but there's problems with her in leading roles. They keep asking her to do physical comedy, and she can't. Her comedic timing is marginal, she's not really embracing, and seems detached from you on screen. You don't cheer for her in these roles. Plus, they keep asking her to play roles where she's 28 or so, (she is 30 acutally) but she looks 17. This is not the first movie this has been a problem all the way around.

The script is NOT FUNNY. The first hour of this is almost walk-outable. But to it's credit, this movie does attempt to grow a heart near the end. And there's a pretty powerful scene where the ramifications of high school bullying are clearly on display. And to be honest, that's rather compelling and well done. Then instead of getting out while the gettin's good, they spend 20 more minutes lamely trying to tie up the loose ends, to it's belabored and agonizing finish. It's a bad script, an old idea, and even understanding I am not the target audience here.....the rest of the crowd at the theater was....and they didn't laugh....a giggle or two now and then.

This movie though will speak to many about the pressures of high school, and the scars and marks the awkward years can leave behind. This will find an audience who will love this movie before they even walk in to it. Also, this movie gives out WAY too much info in its trailers. some of this would have been better left unspoken before you walk in. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie.

You Again. There are some moments here that make you take notice, but in the over all body of work this misses the target badly. One of the worst movies so far this year.