The Weekly Ringer

The University of Mary Washington Student Newspaper

'You Again' is Easily Worth Your Time

2 min read

By CHELSEA CAYER

It’s never too late to right a wrong.

“You Again,” the hilarious comedy staring Kristin Bell, Betty White and Jamie Lee Curtis, is all about how high school reputations never go away; they stick with you forever.

Marni, an accomplished public relations consultant, played by Kristin Bell, heads home for her brother’s wedding. Much to her surprise, the bride, Joanna, is her arch nemesis from high school. Everyone in her family absolutely adores Joanna, and this overly obnoxious affection toward her gets the best of Marni. Marni’s mother Gail, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is big on forgiving and forgetting right up until Joanna’s aunt shows up, coincidentally Gail’s arch nemesis from high school.

Kristin Bell gave an outstanding performance as Marni. Whether she is playing the young, nerdy high-school Marni with acne, large glasses and braces or the grown-up, beautiful Marni with a successful career, she undoubtedly owns the part. She completely puts herself into the role and is extremely entertaining to watch, whether she is falling off a cliff, into an ant-hill or falling down a tree house ladder and trying to cover up by saying she is just stretching her hamstrings.

Betty White also did a great job as Marni’s grandmother, Grandma Bunny. White has an amazing personality and still a great actress, even at 88 years old. Her wittiness completely shined through in her part and she was a definite joy to watch, especially when she was flying through the air in the drapes at the dance studio in some sort of Cirque de Soleil-style performance.

Even Jamie Lee Curtis was outstanding as Marni’s mother, Gail. She was very convincing in her role as a caring mother and was very entertaining to watch. Her performance in the dance studio, trying to out-dance her arch nemesis, truly made her shine. Curtis is a master at what she does and her performance in “You Again” was just as amazing as her other major roles.

The overall plot line of the movie was very enjoyable. It brings people back to their high school days and makes them think of the consequences of their actions back then. “You Again” shows that what goes around comes around, and that your past will stay with you, so make good choices.

One criticism of the movie would have to be the ending. Just like most movies, the ending resolves itself unrealistically on a much too happy note. It was fun to see, but ultimately, it just felt a little sappy.

Other than that, “You Again” was a very good and enjoyable movie that I would without a doubt recommend seeing. The cast was amazing and the storyline was very entertaining.