You Again

Rating: 2.5/5

Definitely not the greatest film, but most certainly not the worst. You Again is humorous at times and contains a fairly creative plot.

Marni Olson (Kristen Bell), works for a public relations company in Los Angeles. As part of an inspirational speech she is giving to new employees at her work, Marni tells the story of her acne covered, glasses and braces wearing high school self. She talks of her teenage tormenter J.J. (Odette Yustman) who would bully her on a daily basis, and how even though her life in high school was a nightmare, she used it to become the woman that she is today.

While on the plane to go home for her brother's wedding, Marni is on the phone with her mother Gail (Jamie Leigh Curtis). It is then that Marni figures out their her future sister in-law in none other than J.J. herself. In a panic over who is about to join her family, Marni goes on a mission to make sure that her family is aware of the real person her brother is about to marry.

So, is You Again a well made movie? No. Is it well written? No. Is it terrible? Surprisingly, no. Going into this film, it is pretty clear what to expect, and that is an overly cheesy and predictable storyline, with plot conflicts that are easily solved if the characters just thought for a moment instead of panicking. All of those reasons would make one think that You Again is not worth watching, and yet, somehow it is.

Its' not really the story of the film that makes the movie watchable, but rather it is the some of the movie's main players. Most notably would be Sigourney Weaver who plays J.J.'s Aunt Ramona, and Gail's high school nemesis. No matter what the film, Weaver can almost always make it better, and You Again certainly proves that concept. Along with Weaver's performance, Kristen Bell's is equally as enjoyable. Though a large portion of Bell's films are not very well received, her adorable charm cannot be denied. Even if the movie itself is not overwhelmingly great, her performance is always fun to watch.

As far as these types of films go, You Again certainly isn't the worst. The idea of having high school rivalries meet up years later in a family based scenario is fairly creative in comparison to other movies in its' genre. For each set of enemies, there is a song connected that matches the time period from which it came. This detail is small, but effective, and is honestly one of the better aspects of the film.

Though You Again didn't receive very decent reviews, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be watched. There is nothing overly complicated or overly impressive about it, but it is a great film to watch when you are looking for something silly and simple.