Immaturity abounds in ‘You Again’

There's a joke in Hollywood that an actress, depending on her age, really only has two roles - babe and district attorney.

"You Again" disproves that punch line, demonstrating that if you're willing to play a jealous, socially competitive, backstabbing, revenge-minded witch, you can be virtually any age.

The movie stars Kristen Bell as Marni, a young woman and former high-school nerd who finds out her beloved brother is about to marry the marauding alpha female (Odette Yustman) who tortured her in high school.

Marni immediately starts scheming to humiliate her former rival/tormentor, despite the fact that the bride has made an honest attempt to reform.

Against the backdrop of that looming catfight is still another. Marni's mom (Jamie Lee Curtis) has her own confrontation with a high-school rival - it's the bride's glamorous aunt, played by Sigourney Weaver.

In addition, Betty White pops up to prove (for the umpteenth time) that if you're willing to play a randy old lady, you can continue working well into your 80s.

So, "You Again" is a victory for employment opportunity, but it does not always feel like a victory for women. Curtis and Weaver wrestle in a pool, Yustman dumps soup on Bell's head . . . it's the "Jerry Springer" show. The actresses generally serve to demonstrate that while women may age and mature, they never let go of petty grudges formed in high school.

Perhaps there's a way to make this funny. If so, it's beyond the capacity of writer Moe Jelline, who appears to borrow whole swathes of material from "Bride Wars," raising a disturbing question: Why would anyone borrow from "Bride Wars"?

That movie didn't do women any favors, and it didn't make much money.