Follow @screenit

"YOU AGAIN" (2010) (Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Heavy Mild None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Minor Minor Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy: A young woman must contend with her brother marrying her former high school tormentor, all while their mother must contend with her own rival from her high school days. PLOT: Once upon a time, way back in 2002, Marni (KRISTEN BELL) was the high school wallflower. With braces, unfashionable glasses, acne and a bad haircut, she was practically invisible, except to Joanna (ODETTE YUSTMAN), known as J.J. back then, who routinely tormented her, what with being the self-proclaimed warden of the school. Since then, Marni has grown up into an attractive young woman who turned her past grief into becoming a confident success in the PR world. That's about to change when she learns that her older brother, Will (JIMMY WOLK), is about to marry Joanna, unaware of her past bullying of his kid sister. Such past behavior is also unknown to Marni's parents, Gail (JAMIE LEE CURTIS) and Mark (VICTOR GARBER), younger brother Ben (BILLY UNGER) or Grandma Bunny (BETTY WHITE). They all love Joanna for the compassionate, socially conscious young woman she now is, but Marni can't let go of the past. The same holds true for her mom when Joanna's aunt, Ramona (SIGOURNEY WEAVER), shows up for the big weekend. A highly successful business woman, she's all lovey-dovey toward Gail, just like Joanna is to Marni, but Gail can't forget that Ramona turned from her best friend into her nemesis back in their high school days. As they all take dance lessons with the flamboyant Georgia (KRISTIN CHENOWETH) who works in a dance studio owned by Tim (KYLE BORNHEIMER) who dated Joanna back in college, they must contend with their feelings about each other and their past, all while Marni tries to make an impression on her secret high school crush, Charlie (SEAN WING), who's also attending the wedding. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast they might be interested, but beyond that I just don't see this being wildly popular with kids. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For brief mild language and rude behavior. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: KRISTEN BELL plays a young PR professional who thinks she's put her awful high school days behind her until she realizes her brother is marrying her former tormentor. She must then try to act nice, all while trying to figure out if Joanna has truly changed, or is just putting on another mean act to spite her. She ends up going for revenge, not fully realizing the potential ramifications of doing so. JAMIE LEE CURTIS plays her mom, once the be-all, end-all of her high school class, but now just happy to have a good family. She's also looking forward to the upcoming wedding, but isn't pleased to learn that Joanna's aunt is none other than her own high school nemesis. From that point on, she must contend with that reheated rivalry. SIGOURNEY WEAVER plays that woman, an ultra successful figure in the business world who, it turns out, wasn't really Gail's bully, but rather was jealous of her friend's many successes that always left her as a runner-up. ODETTE YUSTMAN plays her orphaned niece who's seemingly turned over a new leaf in her life (changing from high school bully to social do-gooder) and initially pretends she doesn't recognize Marni, but then slowly lets on that she does. VICTOR GARBER plays Marni's dad who has to put up with her and Gail's behavior. BETTY WHITE plays Marni's grandmother who's essentially taken in Joanna as another granddaughter. JIMMY WOLK plays Marni's brother who's overjoyed about getting hitched, but isn't pleased by how things unfold and turn out. KRISTIN CHENOWETH plays a flamboyant dance instructor who gives the family wedding-related dance lessons. SEAN WING plays Will's friend and Marni's secret crush back in high school and her reignited one now that she meets him again. KYLE BORNHEIMER plays Joanna's former college boyfriend who obviously hasn't gotten over their split. He drinks a little and seems emotionally unstable. BILLY UNGER plays Marni's younger sibling, a typical boy at that age. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG. We didn't note any profanity beyond a single religious phrase, but it's possible a song lyric might contain something objectionable that caused the MPAA to include "brief mild language" in their rating description. Beyond that, some colorful phrases are also present. Some slightly suggestive dialogue is present (which could also be the "brief mild language"), as are some slightly suggestive dance moves and varying amounts of cleavage and exposed bare midriffs. Slapstick style material is present (including throwing dinner plates at others) and there's some brief pushing and shoving, while two people are injured when the tree house they're in falls to the ground (played for comedy). Drinking occurs in several scenes and there's a comedic line about the strength of some prescription medication. Various bad attitudes are present (including bullying) along with related thematic elements. Potentially imitative behavior occurs, and some tense family material is present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's a partial strobe effect at a wedding reception. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camerawork from time to time (but nothing too shaky). ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Mark tells Ramona she should have a drink, and there's mention of French champagne. About Marni hurting her leg after falling down a hill, Bunny says she can have some of her back pills that will make her able to see sunlight (presumably meaning indoors because they're strong). People have drinks at the bridal shower. People have drinks at a reception before the rehearsal dinner. Tim has a drink and brings one over for Marni at the rehearsal dinner. Later, Mark raises a champagne toast, as do others. Tim sings a song that has a lyric about wine. BLOOD/GORE Bunny hands Marni her dentures, applies some adhesive to them, and then has Marni put them back in her (Bunny's) mouth. While jogging, Marni accidentally falls down a hill. We don't see the impact below, but hear she fell onto an ant mound and was bitten repeatedly (we later see her with bumps on her face, neck, etc.). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE In a flashback, various students "moo" at Marni (as those are her three initials). As led by Joanna, various students then carry Marni above their heads and out of the school, closing the door on her (with Joanna make the "loser" gesture with her index finger and thumb in the shape of an "L"). We see a flashback to Marni's freshman year in high school where no students will let her sit at the cafeteria tables with them (saving they're saved). Joanna hits the school mascot (Marni in a gator costume), sending her stumbling out onto the basketball court where she accidentally hits Will about to make the game winning shot. After Marni removes her mask, Joanna says, "Nice work, gator. You were prettier with the mask on." Marni won't follow a flight attendant's order to take her seat on a flight and ends up cuffed by a federal marshal. Joanna pretends not to recognize Marni from their high school days. After tiring of hearing Joanna talk about all of her social work, including working on a suicide hotline, Ben jokingly asks if she still has that number. We see a flashback to Ramona pushing Gail into the pool at prom. Marni tells Will a white lie about training for a triathlon. Joanna is again mean to Marni at the former's bridal shower. As a result, Marni invites Tim (Joanna's college boyfriend) to the rehearsal dinner, knowing he's not over Joanna and is something of a potential loose cannon. We learn that Joanna was engaged to Tim and didn't show up for the wedding (and that she lied to Will about the extent of her relationship with Tim). We see a video of Joanna from her senior year in high school where she shows her true colors, moos with others at Marni, and proclaims herself to be warden over the others. Marni plays this at the rehearsal dinner to get revenge on Joanna. We see a flashback to Bunny in high school where another girl pushes her out of the way for a boy. FRIGHTENING SCENES Marni falls from a rope ladder and accidentally ends up stuck hanging upside down (played for comedy). Marni hears sounds downstairs, grabs a baseball bat and slowly makes her way down there. She then spots Joanna (unseen to us) and tells her to put it down (making us think it's possibly suicide related), and we then see the visual joke of Joanna sitting in front of the fridge spraying cheese from a can into her mouth. Not realizing Ben had previously loosened the bolts holding a tree house in place, Will and Joanna step out onto the platform that then breaks away, sending them and the house to the ground. We don't see the impact, but do later see her arm in a cast and his leg in one (played lightly). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Nice work gator. You were prettier with the mask on," "Poster child for the geek squad," "I get stuck with Satan's spawn," "Jeez," "Scoozie," "I thought you said his sister was hot," "Low self-esteem gold-digger," "High school was a horror story. This weekend is the sequel," "I didn't know Tim was a freak," "Are you insane," "Oh, kitty likes to scratch," "I freaked out," "I went all Marni Dearest on you guys," "Why are you flipping out?" "Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey," "Who dressed you, the great depression?" and "Don't get up in my grill, sister." In a flashback, various students "moo" at Marni (as those are her three initials). As led by Joanna, various students then carry Marni above their heads and out of the school, closing the door on her (with Joanna make the "loser" gesture with her index finger and thumb in the shape of an "L"). We see a flashback to Marni's freshman year in high school where no students will let her sit at the cafeteria tables with them (saving they're saved). In a flashback, various cheerleaders show bare midriffs. A federal marshal on a plane has tattoos on his arms. Mark wears a blindfold as a means of dieting (by not seeing food on the plate). Gail and Joanna do an old high school cheer in unison. Realizing Marni is distracted, Ben keeps handing the same plate back to her to wash. In Georgia's dance class, Marni and Joanna compete against each other, as do Gail and Ramona, meaning a few sexy dance moves occur, both individually and with the men dancing with them. During that, and trying to one-up Ramona, Gail runs and jumps on a mini-trampoline, hoping Mark will catch her. But she hits Marni instead and they knock down Mark. Gail holds up one of Ramona's earrings to her own ear, and then accidentally drops it down the sink. She then yanks at the plumbing beneath that, resulting in getting sprayed and soaked by water. Ramona pulls up alongside Gail, revs her engine and gives her a tauntingly superior look. As a result, Gail blasts off from the stop like a drag racer, resulting in a motorcycle cop then pulling her over. Joanna and some of her old cheerleading friends wear midriff-revealing tops. Mad at Marni for disrupting her rehearsal dinner, Joanna throws a plate at Marni and it shatters near her. That's followed by another, Marni hitting one with a pan, and then both throwing things. Marni then threatens to drop an expensive wedding gift vase and does so, followed by Joanna pouring a large pot of food all over Marni. Joanna sits in front of the fridge spraying cheese from a can into her mouth. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A tiny bit of suspenseful music, in a comedy context, occurs in one scene, followed by more in another scene that initially looks suspenseful, but ends with a visual gag. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) The Black Eyed Peas' song "Pump It" plays in a scene featuring Georgia dancing, but we didn't note any of the words ("n*gger," "sh*t," etc.) that are in the regular version of the song. Likewise, Britney Spears' song "Toxic" usually has the line "With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride" and such, but we similarly didn't hear if that or other usual content is present in the version here. A song had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of them potentially containing something objectionable. Tim sings a song that has a lyric about wine. The lyric "Your kiss in on my list (of the best things in life)" is heard several times in a song. PROFANITY At least 1 use of "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Joanna shows a little cleavage. After Marni falls asleep in the family tree house, the next morning Ben's friends are starring at her sleeping (clothed), with one saying, "I thought you said his sister was hot." Marni lets on that Joanna simultaneously dated several guys at different schools back in high school, and that she even dated a principal at one of them. We hear Bunny mention "Cougar?" and then telling Joanna that she's old enough to be her grandmother. Georgia mentions a dance that's for good luck and fertility for Will and Joanna (and makes a pregnant gesture in front of her own belly). In Georgia's dance class, Marni and Joanna compete against each other, as do Gail and Ramona, meaning a few sexy dance moves occur, both individually and with the men dancing with them. Georgia shows some cleavage. A waiter offers Bunny an appetizer and asks, "Amuse Bouche," with Bunny replying no, not since college (possibly meant to imply Bunny mistakenly thinks he's referring to her "bush" -- pubic hair). We see that some of Joanna's friends are pregnant with identical due dates, and they state that was on purpose and planned back in college. We see miscellaneous cleavage. Tim fondly remembers his time with Joanna, saying she used to make sounds (and then pauses, possibly making some viewers believe he's going to mention sex, but he then says when they snuggled). Marni shows a little cleavage. Charlie kisses Marni at a wedding reception, while Georgia grabs Tim and plants a big kiss on him. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Joanna's parents died sometime between high school graduation and now, and that she then reassessed her life. We hear that Ramona is nearly divorced (after a short marriage). We see Ramona upset over a phone call finalizing her divorce. Ramona mentions her past mistakes being two failed marriages. Will is upset with both Joanna (for lying to him about her past) and Marni (for disrupting his rehearsal dinner and wedding). Mark is upset with Gail and Marni for the way they've acted (played for laughs as she sends both of them to their rooms). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The comment that you can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to that. The comment that bullies are emotional terrorists. The comment that nobody gets through high school unscathed. The comment that people are their experiences. Forgiving people and giving them second chances. VIOLENCE In a flashback, another cheerleader accidentally kicks Marni in the face when the latter is distracted. Joanna hits the school mascot (Marni in a gator costume), sending her stumbling out onto the basketball court where she accidentally hits Will about to make the game winning shot. Marni stands from her plane seat and accidentally hits her head. We see a flashback to Ramona pushing Gail into the pool at prom. Trying to one-up Ramona, Gail runs and jumps on a mini-trampoline, hoping Mark will catch her. But she hits Marni instead and they knock down Mark. While jogging, Marni accidentally falls down a hill. We don't see the impact below, but hear she fell onto an ant mound and was bitten repeatedly (we later see her with bumps on her face, neck, etc.). Marni and Charlie accidentally bump heads. Mad at Marni for disrupting her rehearsal dinner, Joanna throws a plate at Marni and it shatters near her. That's followed by another, Marni hitting one with a pan, and then both throwing things. Marni then threatens to drop an expensive wedding gift vase and does so, followed by Joanna pouring a large pot of food all over Marni. Ramona shoves Gail who shoves her back, followed by them tussling and then falling together into a swimming pool. Not realizing Ben had previously loosened the bolts holding a tree house in place, Will and Joanna step out onto the platform that then breaks away, sending them and the house to the ground. We don't see the impact, but do later see her arm in a cast and his leg in one. We see a flashback to Bunny in high school where another girl pushes her out of the way for a boy. Reviewed September 21, 2010 / Posted September 24, 2010

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.