Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: You Again

February 7, 2011

You Again - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

You Again opened at the end of September, which is not a good time to release a movie. It earned horrible reviews and it crashed and burned at the box office. Was it unfairly attacked by critics and tragically ignored by moviegoers? Or was this the only predictable result of a miscalculation by the filmmakers?

The Movie

The film starts with Marni Olivia Olsen giving her contribution to her high school's video time capsule. It seems she's not at the top of the social pecking order and is constantly being bullied by Joanna, the queen bee.

Flash forward 8 years later and Marni has turned her difficult high school life into a successful public relations career. In fact, she just got promoted and is becoming a VP at the New York headquarters. But first she has to head back home, because her brother, Will, is getting married. She's never met the fiancee, but when she does, it turns out to be... Joanna. Joanna is loved by the rest of the family, much to the dismay of Marni. She can't even get an apology out of Joanna, because the she doesn't remember what she did to Marni all those years ago. Marni does find some comfort in her mother, Gail, who tells her she had her own problems in high school with a classmate, Ramona. ... Who just happens to be Joanna's aunt Mona, who has come in for the wedding.

Quelle chance! Which is French for, "What are the odds?", if you say it sarcastically.

Old rivalries die hard, and even with the sage advice of Grandma Bunny, hi-jinx ensue.

At least that was the goal of the filmmakers. It didn't really work out that way. While watching this movie, I was constantly reminded of bad sitcoms. It's Three's Company level bad. I winced more than I laughed. I think one of the main problems is the ending, more specifically there is absolutely no surprise with the ending. You know for a fact that there will be a big reconciliation in the end. Because of this, the "Mean Girl" nature of the film is superficial. The nastiness is covered in a level of sweetness, because the screenwriters can't have any of the characters actually unlikeable, lest they make it too hard for the audience to accept it when they all make up in the end.

Also, the jokes are lame and poorly delivered. It's really bad. Maybe the cast knew the jokes were duds, so they had to amp up the delivery to compensate, but it doesn't work.

The Extras

Extras on the DVD include a seven-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, three deleted scenes, and not one, but two faux-featurettes. Fortunately they are short, because they are not funny.

The Blu-ray includes several more deleted scenes and some additional behind-the-scenes / outtakes. It's nothing that pushes the technology, but it is appreciated. The video is spectacular, especially for this type of film. Normally you don't think of comedies as having the best video, but there's not a flaw to be found here. It's not visually impressive enough to be used as reference material, but that's not the fault of the transfer. The audio track has very clear dialogue, but that's really where the compliments end. It's like they forgot there were surround sound speakers. The Blu-ray does cost $8 more than the DVD, but it comes with the DVD, so that does mitigate price somewhat.

The Verdict

You Again has some incredibly talented actors in its cast, from the main stars, to secondary characters, and even some bit parts (Kristin Chenoweth shows up as a wedding planner). I really wanted to like this movie, but from start to finish, it's a miss. the selection of extras on the DVD is slim, while the ones we get are mostly not worth it. The Blu-ray does have a couple of exclusives and does look fantastic and overall it is a tiny bit better deal than the DVD. However, the film itself is completely skippable, so that point is moot.


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Filed under: Video Review, You Again