Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

You Again Blu-ray Movie Review

"Two scoops of crazy with a side of coo-coo-cachoo."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 2, 2011

Et tu, Miss Mars? Kristen Bell, the once-promising young star who won critical accolades for her three-season stint on Veronica Mars, has squandered whatever good will she earned with a string of bad decisions, namely Pulse, Heroes, Serious Moonlight, Couples Retreat, When in Rome and, most recently, You Again. While wizened industry veterans -- Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White for instance -- are able to dabble in genre drivel from time to time without damaging their legacies, talented upstarts simply can't afford to make such misguided career moves. But Bell was supposed to be different; the sort of smart, spunky actress who wouldn't be caught dead in lowest-common-denominator rom-coms, a rising starlet known for signing on to fierce and fiesty comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a savvy but snarky professional skilled at sidestepping rubbish like You Again, easily one of the worst films of 2010.

Once upon a time, Marni (Kristen Bell, Burlesque) was a social pariah, an outcast among high school outcasts. Now, eight long years later, Marni is a different person entirely, a confident and successful PR executive quickly making a name for herself in New York. No longer cursed with glasses, braces and severe acne, she's becoming everything she ever dreamed she could be. But that all changes when Marni returns home for her brother's wedding and learns his fiancé is none other than the cheerleader who bullied her through high school, a cruel, self-centered vixen named Joanna (Odette Yustman, And Soon the Darkness). Meanwhile, Marni's well-intentioned mother Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday) finds herself in similar straits. Lo and behold, Joanna's wealthy aunt (Sigourney Weaver, Avatar) tormented Gail over thirty years ago when the two were in high school. Any bets on how soon thereafter wacky Grandma Bunny (Betty White, The Proposal's wacky Grandma Annie) is forced to contend with her own ancient nemesis? Hilarity... ahem, a feeble approximation of hilarity ensues, the funniest gags fail to earn laughs and Bell -- dear, sweet Miss Mars -- dies a little inside.

One need only watch "Following Flickman," the obnoxious seven-minute behind-the-scenes featurette included with the film's BD release, to see how You Again could go so horribly, horribly wrong. Whipping his accomplished actresses into a self-indulgent frenzy, all-around jovial director Andy Flickman (Race to Witch Mountain) bounds from set to set with gluttonous glee, desperate to keep his cast and crew in stitches in the hope that their cranked-up chemistry will somehow seep through on screen. Instead, the manic, frayed-edge nature of the production is all that bleeds through and You Again suffers accordingly. Bell, Curtis, Weaver and White grin and leer, stumble and slide, bark and bawl, tumble over couches and grit their teeth on cue as if the Ghost of Jim Carrey Past is yanking on their comedic strings. They overreach, overact and overexert themselves so much and so often that it's painful to watch. Scratch that... until it's so painful to watch that it takes tremendous willpower to reach the end of the film. I'm not one to give up halfway through a movie, but if I didn't have to write a coherent review, I would have pulled the trigger at the half-hour mark.

Still, even a more even-keeled director would have struggled. First-time feature film screenwriter Moe Jelline's script is a misogynistic mess; an underdeveloped, overly contrived bit of ramshackled genre junk that offers little, accomplishes less and goes nowhere fast. Jelline's characters are irritating, mean-spirited, narcissistic wretches I'd sooner see run over by a bus than spend an hour and a half getting to know, and I'm frankly shocked actresses like Bell, Curtis and Weaver saw any spark of life in any of them. The resulting humor -- if it can even be classified as humor -- borders on distasteful and abandons breezy fun in favor of ham-fisted absurdity (the likes of which hasn't been seen in a female ensemble comedy since The Sweetest Thing). Normally I'd wax poetic about the divisive nature of comedy; reiterate the fact that one filmfan's treasured classic is another filmfan's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and move on. But I can't imagine You Again getting anything more than a shoulder shrug. Even White, riding high on her inexplicably viral comeback, seems all too aware of the bargain-bin fiasco she's wandered into. Resist, dear readers, resist. Save yourself the time, money and heartache and stay as far away from You Again as possible.

You Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

At least Disney's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer doesn't disappoint. Despite the story's dismal facade, You Again is blessed with a striking, summery palette brimming with warm colors, peppy primaries, pleasant skintones and savory blacks. Contrast is strong and stable throughout and the image is as pristine as they come. Artifacting, banding, aliasing and the like aren't an issue, edge enhancement and noise reduction never come into play, and the whole of the presentation is clean and proficient. Detail is excellent as well, barring some filmic softness and a number of less-than-spectacular shots. Fine textures are crisp and notably resolved, almost every edge is as sharp and unsullied as the next, and delineation is fairly revealing. Hands down the highlight of the release, Disney's video presentation is an impressive one.

You Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't quite so effective, but any blame should fall squarely on You Again's flat, uninvolving sound design. Dialogue is bright and bubbly, effects are chirpy and organic, and Nathan Wang's music fills the soundfield admirably. Be that as it may, LFE output tends to either be shallow or dull and rear speaker activity, light and listless as it is, leaves a lot to be desired. The experience is largely a front-heavy one, without the sort of movement or immersive qualities that might be easier to enjoy. Worse, dynamics, cross-channel pans and directionality are merely serviceable, making this an adequate but entirely conventional comedy mix that gets the job done and little more.

You Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of You Again doesn't offer much in the way of supplemental value. An unexpectedly generous collection of deleted scenes is included, but there isn't anything else of note. Ah well, at least it's all presented in high definition.

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 27 minutes): "All of the scenes I'm getting ready to show you were intended to make the final cut of the movie." Ouch. The eleven hit-or-miss deleted and extended scenes in this collection include optional director introductions.
• Following Flickman: On Set With the Director (HD, 7 minutes): A bizarre behind-the-scenes EPK that showcases Andy Flickman's... let's just say energetic approach to directing an ensemble comedy.
• Ask the Cast (HD, 1 minutes): Surprisingly short and terribly aimless, this tongue-in-cheek actors' Q&A is a waste of disc space.
• Funny or Die (HD, 3 minutes): A mock interview with the actresses courtesy of funnyordie.com.
• Blooper Dance Party (HD, 5 minutes): Laugh it up with the cast.

You Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may look great in high definition, but don't be fooled. You Again isn't worth renting, much less buying. The film itself is as grating and ill-conceived as it is repulsive and unfunny, its DTS-HD Master Audio track is technically sound but altogether underwhelming, and its supplemental package doesn't add any value to the release. Steer clear of this twenty-seven star pileup and save your hard-earned cash for something more redeemable.