Susan Granger’s review of “You Again” (Touchstone Pictures)
The “Mean Girls” bullying concept is revived – in triplicate – as three generations of women in one family must, unexpectedly, confront their high-school nemesis.
Beautiful PR pro Marni (Kristen Ball) has finally overcome the acne-ravaged agony of her teenage years when she’s summoned home to Northern California for her beloved older brother Will’s (Jimmy Wolk) wedding, only to discover to her horror that he’s marrying her arch enemy, Joanna (Odette Yustman), who pretends not to remember how she tormented Marni. Indeed, manipulative Joanna has charmed the entire family, including Marni’s father, Mark (Victor Garber), and little brother, Ben (Billy Unger), along with Cocoa-Puff, the family dog. To complicate matters further, when Joanna’s rich, glamorous and highly successful hotelier Aunt Ramona (Signourney Weaver) jets in from Europe for the festivities, it turns out that she once shared a fierce rivalry with Marni’s mother Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis). As the elaborate nuptials evolve, staged by the exuberant ‘extraordinator’ Georgia King (Kristen Chenoweth), Tim (Kyle Bornheimer), Joanna’s former fiancé, surfaces and there’s even an unwelcome surprise for Grandma Bunny (Betty White). Vindictive Marni’s mission is to make sure her bother knows the kind of woman he’s bringing into the family, while Gail is valiantly trying not to be intimidated by Ramona.
First-time screenwriter Moe Jelline’s implausibly contrived script fosters crass, misogynistic clichés about women’s degrading insecurities, while Andy Fickman’s overly-telegraphic direction can only be described as pedestrian, particularly insofar as the truly embarrassing musical numbers are concerned. Miraculously, the plucky thespians emerge untouched by this slapstick-laden misfire. Curiously, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver got their breakout roles – in “Halloween” (1978) and “Alien” (1979), respectively – within six months of each other but have never worked together before. In a memorable cameo, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as a sensitive air marshal, explains to Marni that “bullies are emotional terrorists.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “You Again” is a hackneyed 4, a fluffy, formulaic chick flick with fangs. And if you’ve endured that long, don’t miss the amusing end credits.
