Film

You Again

Name: You Again
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2010
Cast: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Annable, Victor Garber

Romantic comedy
Light-hearted

A comedy about second chances and holding grudges. Kristen Bell's Marni discovers her brother is marrying Joanna, the mean girl who bullied her in high school. What follows is a crash course in why some people never grow up, and why holding onto old wounds only poisons the present. It's warm-hearted, silly, and stacked with a cast of women who deserve better material.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy bright, bickering comedy about old school rivalries and mothers who refuse to back down, the kind where a sharp cast does the heavy lifting.

Skip it if you find the mean-girl premise thin and want sharper jokes than a broadly played family farce usually delivers; the sitcom-style gags can feel familiar.

What it asks of you: A brisk 105 minutes, light on its feet, asking little beyond a willingness to laugh at grown women behaving like teenagers and an easy surrender to its sugary tone.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Bridesmaids2011

A genuinely funny ensemble comedy about women, friendship, and the chaos of weddings. It has the same spirit of female camaraderie and messy interpersonal dynamics, but with sharper writing and more generous heart.

But It's raunchier and more willing to let its characters be genuinely flawed rather than ultimately likeable. Some of the humour lands harder than you might expect.

27 Dresses2008

Jane Seymour's Marni would love this: a woman finally standing up for herself after years of people-pleasing. Katherine Heigl carries a rom-com that's genuinely interested in its female lead's feelings, not just her romantic availability.

But The central conflict feels contrived, and James Marsden can't quite carry the romantic weight opposite Heigl. It knows what it is, which is fine, but limited.

The Wedding Ringer2015

Two misfits bonding before a wedding, building a fake friend group in the process. It's oddly sweet underneath the broad comedy, and it has genuine affection for its characters rather than contempt.

But Kevin Hart plays the same character he always plays. The climax relies on sentiment that hasn't been earned. It tries hard and sometimes the effort shows.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from You Again

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

In Good Company2004

Both films ask if high school wounds can ever truly heal. But In Good Company trusts its audience to sit with ambiguity and complexity in a way You Again doesn't.

A woman reconnects with the man who broke her heart years earlier. Instead of revenge or seduction, the film explores whether understanding the past changes how we feel about it. It's smart, patient, and genuinely romantic without being soppy.

But Nothing much happens. It's a relationship drama disguised as a romantic comedy. Scarlett Johansson is playing a younger woman, which the film is aware of but doesn't always handle well.

Legally Blonde2001

Elle Woods is the inverse of Marni—underestimated and doubted, but refusing to become bitter about it. The film's real insight is that kindness and intelligence aren't mutually exclusive, a lesson Marni needs badly.

But The satire of sorority culture is pretty light. Some of the jokes rest on assumptions that didn't age brilliantly. But the film is ultimately so warm it's hard to resent.

Ghostbusters II1989

Sigourney Weaver gets to be funny, and the film is genuinely interested in her character's life outside of being a love interest. It's campy, ridiculous, and committed to its own weirdness in a way that's weirdly endearing.

But It's a direct sequel that nobody asked for, and it shows. The plot is thinner than the first film. If you haven't seen the original, this will mystify you.

Steel Magnolias1989

An ensemble of excellent women actors playing complex, funny, hurting people. The film moves between comedy and real sadness without whiplash. It's the template for what female ensemble comedies aspire to be.

But It's much sadder than You Again, and the shift in tone in the final act is genuinely shocking. If you want comedy all the way through, look elsewhere.

The First Wives Club1996

Three women discover their ex-husbands are leaving them and decide to get revenge. It's a fantasy about female solidarity and reclaiming power, played by three legendary actors who are completely uninterested in being dignified.

But The revenge plot is more cartoon than reality. The film's view of men is reductive. It's a time capsule of 1996, for better and worse.

Connie and Carla2004

Two women go undercover as drag queens to escape the mob and find community. It's weird, kind-hearted, and genuinely interested in its characters' growth. Completely surprising if you come to it cold.

But The premise is genuinely strange, and not every joke lands. The central hook is silly enough that some viewers will check out immediately. It's much weirder than You Again.

A Woman Is a Woman1961

Both are ensemble comedies about women, but A Woman Is a Woman proves that female friendships and rivalries can be the entire subject of a film. It's the spiritual ancestor of everything You Again is trying to do, but with style and genuine wit.

A French New Wave film about two women and a man, shot in primary colors and playful energy. It's genuinely funny, full of dancing and arguing and the kind of bickering that's actually affection in disguise. Pure cinema, pure joy.

But It's in French with subtitles. It's from 1961 and makes no apologies for it. The gender dynamics are of their era. If you want plot, you're looking in the wrong place.