by Dante Rosario on October 9th, 2010

“You Again,” is Director Andy Fickman’s first Romantic Comedy since the 2006 teen gender bender flick, “She’s the Man”…And if you still remember the person you grew up with, or went to school with, that did everything possible to make your life a living hell…you’ll have no problem relating to this movie.

The plot of “You Again” centers on a young woman named Marni (Kristen Bell), and her archrival Joanna (Odette Yustman).  In high school, Marni was a bit of a social outcast, and was constantly bullied by the popular cheerleader, Joanna.  Fast-forward to the present, where Marni finds out that her brother is engaged to the very same girl responsible for tormenting her in high school.

Marni’s initial reaction is to give Joanna a chance, in the hopes that her former nemesis has changed…the only problem is, when Marni asks Joanna for an apology, Joanna claims she doesn’t remember any of the cruel things she did in the past.  From there, Marni spends most of the movie trying to reveal the truth about her brother’s fiancé, and gain some vindication in the process.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems I had with “You Again,” was the cast…Kristen Bell does a great job of playing Kristen Bell, minus the jealousy and conniving that have become her trademark.  Veteran actress Sigourney Weaver does an ok job in her role as Joanna’s equally malevolent Aunt Ramona, and Jamie Lee Curtis is good as Marni’s mother, Gail.   Sadly, the writers didn’t think they needed to shed any light on the story behind why Joanna’s Aunt, and Marni’s mother are also old enemies, so in the end, neither character has the chance to become a real factor in the overall plot.

My award for the most memorable performance goes to Odette Yustman, who plays a convincing mean girl, with no regrets, and no remorse for torturing her old victim.  Even when she’s supposed to be the good fiancé, you get the sense that Joanna is enjoying every minuet of manipulating Marni for old time’s sake.

When I saw the cast list for “You Again,” I expected good acting, and a decent enough plot to make a good comedy.  It turns out I was wrong…nothing about the plot of this movie was as funny as I expected, and the acting wasn’t nearly as good as I thought it would be.

In fact, with the exception of a few good moments, everything about this film seemed forced…but, there’s still enough of a story to make it worth your time.

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