A woman is transformed into her younger self at a point in her life when the pressures of adulthood become too much to bear.
In 1993, Jordan Sanders (Marsai Martin) can’t seem to navigate any positive path at Windsor Middle School due to the proliferation of bullies that make her life a constant nightmare. When her parents encourage her to see past their behavior and imagine a future where she is totally in control, they have absolutely no idea to what degree that she is going to make her enemies her footstool.
Fast-forward several years and Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) has officially made it in life. As CEO of a successful company, she feels that the world is at her fingertips. While she isn’t totally aware that she has become a Godzilla Boss, she is perfectly satisfied creating havoc everywhere she turns. When Jordan’s most vital business account holder threatens to leave her company in search of a fresher approach, Jordan becomes unhinged as her usual bullying tactics with her subordinates no longer seem effective. In addition, Jordan’s choice to bully a perfectly innocent child results in a spell being put on her that immediately transforms her back into the little middle school girl who hated life and everyone around her because of the way she was treated. Furthermore, due to non-compliance, Jordan is reprimanded to a mandatory sentence of attending the same school where her greatest fears in life were felt.
Tina Gordon as writer and director is profound in her ability to demonstrate with her cast the long-term, ageless and problematic impact of bullying, as well as how the unequivocal characteristics of a bully transform themselves in all aspects of our lives and livelihood. Marsai Martin and Regina Hall are humorously and delightfully entertaining in their brash and unforgiving roles as big and little bullies who are one and the same. The supporting cast which includes Issa Ray as the formidable business assistant, Justin Hartley as the school teacher who isn’t quite prepared and Luke James as the victimized boyfriend who is too in love to realize what he has gotten himself into, carry the bulk of the tragic, yet strategic humor in this film that makes it well worth watching. Greater kudos to Marsai Martin who has proven her worth as an aspiring writer and young businesswoman who is breaking records in the film industry for her creative piece of work! Don’t miss the huge lessons that filter themselves throughout the film and remind us of the daily reality of the impact of bullying at every level.
In theaters Friday, April 12th
