You Again

This broad comedy stars Kristen Bell as Marni, the girl who spent her teenage years in acne-covered awkwardness and got bullied by the popular girls at school, specifically by the beautiful and cruel Joanna (Odette Yustman).  But all that's changed now, as Marni is no longer an ugly duckling (gone are the glasses, braces, and bangs) and is a successful executive at her PR firm.  When she gets the news that her older brother is getting married, Marni can't wait to go home and meet her future sister-in-law... until she realizes that her brother's bride-to-be is none other than the queen bee from her torturous past.  Marni becomes determined to expose Joanna's true nature at any cost, with disastrous consequences.  The insipid plot relies heavily on over-the-top situations for laughs, which come off as forced and unimaginative.  From the ridiculous way that Marni ends up looking like her high-school self again, to an embarrassing scene during a pre-wedding dance lesson, the film is rife with preposterous scenarios that exist solely to humiliate the characters.  By the time Marni exacts her revenge on the evil Joanna, I was horrified at the deplorable lows she had to stoop to in order to reveal the truth and wondered who the real villain was.  Meanwhile, Joanna's growth of a conscience is laughable at best, and Yustman's one-note and stiff portrayal of her leaves much to be desired.  It really is a shame that such an amazing cast of supporting actors (Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, Victor Garber, and the always resplendent Kristin Chenoweth) is wasted on such a derivative piece of drivel.  The only real laughs come from Weaver who, as Joanna's rich and successful aunt, somehow manages to improve upon a thankless role.  You Again is that most annoying and unfortunate type of comedy that tries to latch onto the most basic form of humor... and still manages to fall flat on its face.


1 out of 5 stars

Trust

In this intense and emotionally-charged drama from director David Schwimmer, Clive Owen stars as successful family man, Will, who has a loving wife (Catherine Keener) and a perfect family.  Until one day, his daughter Annie (Liana Liberato) innocently enough strikes up a friendship in an online chat group and becomes prey to an internet stalker. While her parents cope with the tormenting aftermath of the attack, Annie must face the talk of her peers at school and help the authorities hunt down the man who raped her.  But can Will piece his family back together - and learn to trust his daughter again - without letting his rage consume him?  Having tackled comedy in his last big-screen directing effort (2007's Run, Fatboy, Run), Schwimmer now explores the terrifying and still very relevant topic of online sexual predators.  Owen is at his best here as a father at his wit's end who feels like he doesn't know his daughter anymore, and his grief and frustration are palpable.  Likewise, Keener brings to the role of Annie's mother what she brings to every role - a reliably refreshing dose of realism, from the way she talks about her oldest son going off to college, to the way she carries a seemingly ordinary conversation with Annie about establishing her self-worth.  And newcomer Liberato holds her own well amongst these Hollywood heavies as she perfectly portrays an angry, confused, and deluded teenage girl.  Trust is a harrowing look at the destruction of youthful innocence and the perils of technology in today's modern computer age.  There's a newfound sense of hope and understanding at the end, but you secretly pray that you never have to experience this devastation yourself to come to such a gritty realization.

4 out of 5 stars

Source Code

From director Duncan Jones (Moon) comes this mind-bendy action thriller.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays Capt. Colter Stevens, a decorated military helicopter pilot who finds himself on a strange mission: He must go back in time and inhabit the body of a stranger who happens to be on a train about to explode from a terrorist attack.  While in this man's body, Colter must figure out the killer's identity so that a possible second (and bigger) attack can be prevented.  But who is the train bomber?  Who are the cryptic military officials giving Colter orders and what exactly aren't they telling him?  How is this revolutionary neural technology able to send someone back in time to the last few minutes of another person's life?  And who is the beautiful girl named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) sitting across from Colter on the train who acts like she knows him and keeps calling him Sean??  All these are questions that Colter must answer, and he's only got 8 minutes to do it - aided by his brusque and unsympathetic handler (Vera Farmiga) - so he is forced to relive the same final moments over and over again, like a recurring nightmare he can't escape.  Jones is adept at the sci-fi, psychological thriller genre, and here delves further into the effects of isolation on the human mind (as he first explored with Sam Rockwell in Moon).  Colter may be completely surrounded by other people on a train, but he is the only one who knows what is going to happen, and in reality he's in a cramped chamber receiving instructions over a small computer screen... completely alone.  It's enough to mess with anyone's mind, and the audience is left to piece together the puzzle along with Colter in trying to decipher what is real.  Gyllenhaal is fantastic in this role, finally striking the right balance of action-star and thinking-man (after his Prince of Persia flop last year).  There was kind of a "huh?" moment at the end that wasn't really explained to my satisfaction, but in light of the already confusing and unbelievable "science" at work here, I guess it's forgivable.  I found the nuances in each replay of the past exciting and it was fun watching Colter react to things that he, along with all of us, knew was coming.  Like a dark, action-thriller version of Groundhog Day, Source Code is mind-blowing repetition that you won't tire of.

4 out of 5 stars

The Adjustment Bureau

In this sci-fi thriller, Matt Damon plays fresh-faced politician, David Norris, whose reckless past costs him the senate race in his home state.  On the night of his concession, David meets a beautiful stranger, Elise (Emily Blunt), who immediately steals his heart - and inspires him to give the best speech of his career - then vanishes without a trace.  David becomes obsessed with finding his mystery girl, until a clandestine organization intervenes to keep them apart.  Now, he is torn between his career and his love for someone he barely knows - all while being watched by men who want to ensure that David keeps to their predetermined plan.  The Adjustment Bureau is yet another film based on the seemingly endless collection of adaptable short stories by Philip K. Dick.  In this one, however, the romance between the two main characters takes center stage above the sci-fi aspect of the story.  Damon, completely believable in the role of an idealistic politician who truly believes he can make a difference, is perfectly cast as a reformed congressman with a bad-boy past.  And when he meets Elise for the first time, David is not just "in lust at first site" - it's much more than that.  Something about her sparks something in David and makes him feel truly alive for the first time... as if he's been waiting to meet Elise his whole life and finally realizes his true purpose.  Blunt, looking breathtakingly gorgeous as ever, gives Elise just the right blend of frankness and seductive charm, without being overtly sexy - it's no wonder David finds her completely irresistible and unforgettable.  There were some plot holes that I couldn't overlook (Why didn't Elise go looking for David when he couldn't find her?  Was she playing hard to get?), and the overall message of the story was hokey at best.  The film does raise some interesting philosophical questions, though, and that, paired with clever visuals and exciting chase scenes, were enough to keep me entertained.  If you try not to question the movie as much as David questions "the plan" and allow yourself to just enjoy the ride, then you'll probably be pretty entertained, too.

3 out of 5 stars