Film Reviews

You Again

• Rating:
• Director: Andy Fickman
• Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis
• Details: US/105mins G

Kristen Bell is one of those actresses who had a mild success, and has was instantly bumped to the front of the line. When In Rome wasn't a particularly good film, but it at least showcased her amiable charm and obvious leading lady chops. Here, she's headlining what essentially feels like a sitcom without a laughter track. Director Andy Fickman handles the comedy and talented players like he's waiting on the neon "Applause" sign to flash at any moment and have the live studio audience clap us into the frolic-ridden closing credits.
Bell is former high school geek, Marni. Having left school and gone on to a hugely successful career as a PR type person, Marni also managed to get extremely hot, but no less awkward. After bagging a big promotion at work, she returns home for the wedding of her bland brother, who it turns out is shacking up with the bully who made her life hell all those years ago, Odette Yustman's Joanne - who now appears to be a sexy, orphaned Mother Teresa. In a bout of staggering coincidence, Marni's mother (an over the top Lee Curtis) had a similar relationship with Joanne's Aunt (Weaver, probably wishing she was back tackling aliens) in high school too.
Someone, somewhere just decided that having Betty White act like a young person would be laugh riot and the former Golden Girls actress has been dining out on it, buffet style, since. If you think an old person being on facebook is funny, then you'll probably find Me Again rib-tickling hilarious. It's that type of safe, shamelessly broad humour throughout that directors justify by calling it "suitable for all the family." But that doesn't excuse horrible writing, strange cameos, and the lack of one even moderately amusing piece of dialogue.
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Kristen Bell; she proved in her TV show, Veronica Mars, that she can handle wordy scripts, whilst carrying a sharp production made all the better for her involvement. But she needs to stop wrestling for films with the likes of Katherine Heigl, and start seeking out the same kind of acerbic material on the big screen. She won't get many more headlining oppurtuinities if others turn out like this.
Boring, silly, and generally embarrassing for the veteran players involved, Me Again is a limp comedy.

Review by Mike Sheridan