What would you do if you could turn back the hands of time and once again return to a younger age? This is the major premise of director Burr Steers's movie, 17 Again, whichM focuses on a miserable middle-aged man who returns to the age of seventeen in order to choose which life he wants to live. Despite the fact that the movie is built on a typical romantic-comedy formula and has one cliche after another, 17 Again has just enough charisma and chuckle moments to survive it from being a total waste of time.
17 Again follows the life of Michael "Mike" O'Donnell (Matthew Perry), a middle-aged man who is in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, Scarlet (Leslie Mann). Miserable with his life, he takes a drive on a dark and stormy night. Seeing the high school janitor trying to jump over a bridge, Mike tries to save him and ends up going over the rail, falling into a swirling vortex. He awakens the next morning back in his bed, but he's much younger. He's seventeen again. Young Mike (Zac Efron) now has to try to reevaluate his life and return back to where it all started - high school. Pretending to be a normal teenager, Mike has to go through several awkward moments to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
If you like simple teen comedies that don't require any thinking, then this is the movie for you. Personally, I prefer a more sophisticated romantic-comedy, like Silver Linings Playbook, but sometimes we all need an easy movie to just watch and relax on a Friday night. And in that regard, this movie works well, despite all its stereotypes, cliches, and formulaic plot.
The comedy aspects in the film are pretty hit and miss. Some are hysterical and some are just stupid. The movie is sprinkled with a wide variety of jokes, from people's behaviors, to fart jokes, to a penis joke. For the most part, they work well. But the ones that don't work bring the movie down and make it a low-class comedy.
Surprisingly, 17 Again is actually saved primarily from Zac Efron. For all the hate he gets, he's actually not a terrible actor. His charisma and charm makes the movie much more enjoyable than it would have been. He is actually really funny in some of the scenes, particularly when he is trying to figure out how to act as a modern teenager. But the funniest character in this movie is hands-down Ned Gold, played by Thomas Lennon. Almost everything he said at least made me grin. And he's the one that gets the great "hand-baby" joke!
What bothered me most about the movie were the glaring holes. Like how did Ned, Mike's best friend, not recognize him when he became seventeen? And how did the coach not recognize this great 'new' basketball player? And how did the wife not recognize her husband? After all, she's been with him since high school. These were just some of the numerous holes that turn this movie into a slice of Swiss cheese.
The movie has a weak start with Zac Efron in his natural form - no shirt. But he does get dressed quickly and remains that way for the duration of the movie. As the story progresses, the film does get better. It is by no means a great movie, but it is good for some simple weekend comedy. It's at least worth one watch, and you're almost guaranteed to laugh at least once.
RATING: 3 / 5
This film is rated PG-13 (language, some sexual content, teen partying)
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