You Again

The farce has been a standard comic genre since the time of the ancient Greek taking outlandish circumstances and improbable scenarios populating them with characters capable of taking the humor to an extreme. There is a variation of this format that really took hold in the movies around the forties, the screwball comedy. In this offshoot there is typically a kooky female character as the center of the gossamer thin plot. Actually with the genuine farce there is frequently a political or social commentary driving the story. Then, as happened with many classic genres, this one has been seriously diluted to the point that the fundamental elements are barely recognizable. A recent example of such degradation of this type of movie is ‘You Again’. In all fairness this flick isn’t completely devoid of entertainment value. A major factor in this is the latitude afforded to the defining criteria of the genre. A broader permissiveness is allowed in this sort of flick; is generally okay is contain a generous portion on utter nonsense. The trick required by the audience in order to make the most out of this film is to perform a shutdown of the discerning portions of your mind in order to permit the humor to just wash through the fringes of your consciousness. So if you find it possible to do so yet leave a sufficient awareness to make some pop corn you might find an enjoyable afternoon with the family. Another benefit of something that can separate from the necessity of a fully coherent story then kids can enjoy it on the purely visceral level of watching grown-up acting silly. Another thing this movie has going for it is it is from Disney so you can be reasonable certain it is family friendly and just in case you didn’t want to be seen on line for it in the theater it is now released on DVD and Blu-ray. You know that goes through people’s mind; it is a reason movies like this faire better with their home release than the traditional box office. Since ‘You Again’ cost about $20 million and it recovered that in domestic ticket sales the discs are pretty much pure profit ensuring films like this will never go out of style.

A lot of what makes this film a modicum better than the pack is the professionalism of the film maker and his cast. The author of the screenplay, Moe Jelline, is new to this field and some of the details to its construction demonstrate that he is still on a learning curve. The looseness of the format conceals the full degree of the script’s shortcomings. It must be noted that pulling this genre off properly is exceptionally difficult. Most professional comedians will state getting a laugh is one thing bit doing so by letting go and acting completely foolish takes a degree of control that requires a mastery of the art. Providing some offset to the writer’s newness is the experience brought to the table by the director, Andy Fickman. He has helmed a few lighthearted flick in a similar vein to this including ‘She’s the Man’ and the latest ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ and another Dwaine Johnson silly flick, ‘The Game Plan’. Providing a foundation for the zaniness is the cast consisting of seasoned professionals fully able to make the most of the proceeding. Not only does this hold for the main cast but the care in casting was extended to the supporting roles as well.

In order to make crazy work there has to be some aspect that grounds the proceeding proving a means for the situations and characters to be somewhat relatable by the audience. Even the kids watching do better when there is a factor that relates to their lives. The operating premise employed here is one that has a proven track record especially with the tween set; ‘Mean Girls’. While this appears to be a light theme it is one that travels beyond that youthful demographic appealing to the adults. This plot device can blend the still existing caste structure inherent in our culture that while greatly exaggerated high school follows you throughout your life, which brings us nicely to the twist behind this story. Marni (Kristen Bell) was a looser in high school complete with a face full of pimples and mouth full of braces and glasses. No matter how hard she tries Marni could not get past the resident evil queen of the school, Joanna (Odette Yustman). This bitter rivalry was mirrored between Marni’s mother Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Joanna’s aunt Ramona (Sigourney Weaver). Times goes by and the teen years are left behind. Marni’s complexion cleared up and the braces eventually came off leaving an attractive young woman working in New York City as an executive in a prestigious public relations firm. She had hoped that the humiliation was behind her but then she learns that she has to return home for her brother Will (James Wolk)’s wedding to Joanna. Marni has trouble with the process of forgive and forget made more difficult by the apparent change into a kind hearted young woman heavily involved in charitable works.

What happens next is extremely predicable. This is not a movie that wills illicit exclamations such as ‘Wow, I didn’t see that coming’. What you do get is enough slapstick, sight gags and embarrassing situations. It has to be kept in mind that this is a female viewpoint of physical comedy. Unlike the Stooges where pain is the goal of the pratfalls with women the result is derived from emotionally compromising embarrassment. Bell does do well as the target for much of this and has the making of an excellent physical comedienne. She gets viscous substances dumped on her and flimsy structures fall in around her with a sense of style. Weaver calls on her up tight boos persona from ‘Working Girl’ to play straight woman to the finely honed comic antics of Curtis. Adding to the entire madness is Betty White who is crafting an entirely new career for herself playing a rowdy senior citizen.

Posted 01/29/11