Why So Blu?

You Again (Blu-ray Review)

I must be a glutton for punishment.  Usually fellow staff reviewer Sean Ferguson reviews all the Disney related Blu-ray titles around here, but when I found out about this romantic comedy starring my favorite screen queen as of late, Odette Yustman (the heavenly goddess from The Unborn), I begged Sean for the chance to review it.  Thankfully, Sean agreed.  Or was my wish ill fated?  Let’s find out as I act as your tour guide conduit in providing you an all-access tour of Buena Vista’s Blu-ray set, You Again.  Ready?

Film  

You Again is a romantic comedy film directed by Andy Fickman.  It stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Victor Garber, Betty White and the whole reason I took this assignment, the lovely Odette Yustman.  The film premiered theatrically on September 24^th.  However, I was unable to make the press screening.  Darn!  And oh yeah…I would be doing our world an injustice if I did not mention the appearance of one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson within the feature.  Aaron Nuewirth needs to know this information.

So remember I used the term ill-fated above?  What a weird way to start off a Blu-ray review, huh?  Well I did that for a reason.  Want to know why?  Of course you do!  So here’s the shizzy.  It’s because of the horrible critical reviews I read about the film after agreeing to review this title.  It’s seemingly up against Troll 2 as one of the worst movies of all-time.  But if you are Sean Ferguson, then you will instantly refute that statement.  Anyway, I wanted to take a quick moment to recap two of my favorite negative reviews I found online.  New York Times critic Stephen Holden penned that “There is not a laugh to be found in this rancid, misogynistic revenge comedy,” and declared “Like so many Disney movies, You Again exalts shallow, materialistic values, then tries to camouflage its essentially poisonous content with several layers of sugar coating and weepy reconciliation.”  And finally, Richard Roeper gave the film an F and stated that it was one of the worst movies he’s ever seen.  Ouch!  If that doesn’t say it all, then I don’t know what does.  Do you think Roeper ever saw Troll 2?  LOL!  So just how bad is You Again?  That’s what I was dying to find out as I pressed play on my PS3 remote.  Read on and I will share with you my innermost deepest secrets.

Oh God!  I don’t even know where to start.  Although I never experienced the awesomeness of Troll 2 like Sean Ferguson has, I can probably guarantee that Sean would like this title more.  Does that make this a great film?  Absolutely NOT!  During the 105-minute runtime I kept asking my wife when this film was going to get good?  She obviously did not have that answer.  And in a very rare feat that seldom happens between us, we both awarded this film only two stars after it was over.  In fact it was quite funny.  I’m one of those people who watch the credits no matter what.  And when the credits started rolling, B-roll and outtakes started flowing.  And my wife and I typically eat those moments up as there are usually laughable things to be found in these types of endings.  Well quite honestly, I think my wife had enough.  She turned to me and said, “You can stop this.”  Ha ha.  It was me who was solely watching the credits.  It was apparent now that she indeed had enough.  I guess that’s why people refer to me as the female and her as the male in our relationship.  LOL.

Anyway, so you all want to know what the story of You Again is all about, don’t you?  You sure?  It’s not for the faint of heart.  We first meet the two leading ladies, Bell and Yustman, in their high school years (circa 2002).  Bell’s character, Marni, is the definition of a geek.  She was an outcast in her high school.  Odette’s character, JJ, was obviously the “it” girl in school.  Now let’s fast-forward some years.  Bell’s character is now a successful PR person.  Her career is flourishing as she accepts a very big promotion that will have her moving from Los Angeles to New York.  But first, she must head home to attend the marriage of her brother.  That’s where the meat and potatoes of the story really begins.  You see, her brother is getting married to none other than her high school nemesis, JJ (now known as Joanna).  Only trouble is, no one knows their feudal history except the two of them.  Marni’s family is oblivious to the fact over how much she truly hates Joanna.  Joanna on the other hand, is now as sweet as…well you know, maple syrup or something like that.  Marni’s family eats her up.  Yum!

So do you see the dilemma here yet?  Wait!  It gets worse.  Jamie Lee Curtis plays Bell’s mother and Sigourney Weaver portrays Yustman’s aunt.  Where are the aliens?  God help me.  I could only wish.  But again!  Wait!  Wouldn’t you know it?  The same feudal history exists between Weaver and Curtis’ characters.  In Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat! He refers to this as Double Mumbo Jumbo.  You don’t believe me?  Would you believe me if I told you it gets even worse?  You just have to watch and find out for yourself.  I will say this, however, everything I just mentioned does play nicely into the actual title of this film…You Again.  Think about it for a minute.  It is pretty clever.  Okay…the film gets a point for that.

So anyway, I think you can see where this romantic comedy is going.  This one is not for the men, save for the ones like me who are just in it for Odette.  But trust me, it’s not worth it.  This movie is as dull as my stills are for it within this review.  If it were not for at least a cohesive story and a few song and dance routines here and there, my score would have been a lot lower than what it really is.  You could have called this Cheetah Girls 4 and I would have not known the difference.  I’m not even sure what the demographics of this film are as it is all over the place.  Sometimes, and I know this is a Disney movie, I think the producers really tried too hard to keep this family friendly.  Parents of the world…I see no reason why your little tikes can’t watch this one with you.  But I beg of you…why not pop in Star Wars instead?  They will grow up to love you even more.  So with that being said.  Let’s find out how this disc looks, sounds and feels…other than the film itself.

But before we move on.  I really want to know who this Joel Amos guy from SheKnows.com is.  On the slipcover of the Blu-ray release he is quoted as saying this film is “Hysterically Funny.”  Joel…do you know what funny is?  That’s all.  Carry on…

Video  

You Again arrives on the Blu-ray format with a stunning 2.40:1 widescreen presentation brilliantly rendered in an AVC MPEG-4 encode.  Here’s how I will covey it quite simply to the masses.  The visual quality of You Again on Blu-ray is as perfect as Odette Yustman is to my 36-year old retinas.  Grade A, people!  Grade A!  It’s a new release…a Disney film…you will be hard pressed to find any imperfections in this Blu-ray release, much like you would with Odette Yustman (a big grin overtakes my smug face).  The colors are vibrant and the detail, for the most part, is sharp throughout.  Every strand of hair and green chlorophyll filled leaf on the trees are remarkably captured on this home video release.  And there are some incredible blue sky shots to behold too.  Grain is kept to a minimum with no intrusions visible and black levels are near reference perfect.  It is what it is folks (God…how I hate this line).  If you are like me, and you are only checking out Odette…oops I mean checking this feature out for Odette, then you won’t be disappointed.  She looks beautiful as ever in this one.

Audio  

You can’t really fault the movie or the studio for the lack of dynamics in this lackluster rom com.  Again…as I stated above…it is what it is.  And I STILL hate saying that!  You Again arrives on the Blu-ray format with a very quiet DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix.  When I say quiet, I mean just that.  If you are looking for wonderful examples of surround sound usage to show off to your friends and family, please look elsewhere.  And here’s a hint.  Just about anywhere else will do.   On the plus side, the dialog is all clear and intelligible.  That’s important, right?  Here’s the situation.  This film is a comedy.  Comedies are generally weak in the surround sound department.  This feature is no exception.  Make the most of this one on Blu-ray because you know it won’t sound this good on DVD.

Special Features  

Like the feature film itself, the Special Features department has very little to offer its viewers.  But that’s not to say it’s not quirky.  Oh, quite the contrary.  I’m not going to spend too much time crafting magical rhymes; I’m paid just to keep it real.  So before I move on with what’s all included here, I’m going to make the following disclaimer.  At least it’s all in High Definition.  Now with that being said, remember the golden rule.  Even though something is presented in High Definition, that doesn’t mean that it is necessarily good.  Please.  By all means…read on…

• Following Fickman: On Set With The Director (HD) – Peer into the madcap mind of Hollywood’s wackiest director, Andy Fickman, as he orchestrates the comedy of Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis and Betty White.  I think this featurette was better than the movie itself.  Really!

• Ask The Cast (HD) – Jaime Lee Curtis, Betty White, Sigourney Weaver and Kristen Bell answer questions from fans asking for advice.  Betty’s advice might not be what you expect.  I know…I’m as speechless as you are.

• Funny or Die (HD) – Believe it or not, this is a behind-the-scenes interview spoof featuring Jaime Lee Curtis, Betty White, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman and KristenBell.  They discuss the movie and when things get tense between the actresses…it eventually boils over into a cast fight.  You sure you want to spend your time here?  I rate this one as a fans only featurette.

• Blooper Dance Party (HD) – What kind of special features are these?  Cripes!  On-set antics abound as the cast dances to their own beat.
• Deleted Scenes (HD) – Director Andy Fickman provides optional introductions to his deleted scenes: “Sharing A Room,” “Photo Album Memories,” “Riding The Silk,” “Good Morning Sunshine,” “Grandma Bunny’s House (featuring Betty White),” “Meet Georgia King (with Betty White),” “Gail’s Shower/Ramona’s Dress,” “The Compost Heap (with Betty White),” “Covered In Lard (with Betty White),” “Bridal Shower (with Betty White)” and “After The Fiasco.”
• DVD (SD) – Yes it’s true.  There’s a second disc in this set.  It’s a drink coaster.  Oops…I mean DVD.  So if they include a DVD, then why not a Digital Copy too?  It makes no sense.  As much as I was against them in the beginning, I’m starting to think that all Blu-ray purchases should now include a Digital Copy.  What do you think?

Final Thoughts  

Look folks.  I’m a nice guy.  Despite my desire to earn any commission off sales of this title, I would feel guilty taking your money here.  Yes, there are some beauties to behold here, but in the long run…it’s simply not worth it.  It really isn’t it.  Even my wife did not care for this feature and these kinds of chick flicks are right up her alley.   So if you don’t take my word for it, then take into consideration the sentiments of my wife.  If nothing else, then you have been warned.  Here’s hoping Odette picks her roles more wisely in the future.  I believe in you Odette.  Make me proud!

You Again arrives in a Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray and DVD version of the film) on February 8^th.  Pre-order yours today…if you dare!  — FANS ONLY —