Review: 17 Again (2009)

Director: Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down)

Cast: Zac Efron (High School Musical, Hairspray), Leslie Mann (Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, I Love You Man), Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg (EuroTrip, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Melora Hardin (The Office), Hunter Parrish (Weeds, RV), Matthew Perry (Friends, The Whole Nine Yards)

The Deal: At 17, Mike O'Donnell (Efron) was the star of his basketball team, close to getting a full ride to play ball in college, and dating his soulmate. But on the night of the big game, he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant and drops everything to marry her. Now 20 years later, his marriage is in shambles, his kids think he's a loser, and his job is going nowhere. Desperate to relive the glory years, he is magically turned 17 again and returns to high school with a fake name. It doesn't take long before he realizes the magic is not for basketball, but rather for a chance to save his marriage and reconnect with his kids, who are both in high school.

Thoughts: We've seen this scenario before, and this one is nothing special, just a chance to ride the formula again but with newer and fresher faces. For the most part, the film reminds you not to take it seriously. In the opening scene, Efron is gearing up for the big game, and the cheerleaders are doing their routine. All of a sudden, he's out there having a choreographed dance session. Seriously, we've seen this three times before, but it was called High School Musical then. The scene is completely out of place with the rest of the film, so I'm still boggled as to why it was deemed necessary.

As for the performances, they weren't bad. Leslie Mann has the best presence on screen, and she shows why she's the most experienced actor on the set. The awkward sexual tension between her and Efron in some scenes was creepy yet fairly funny. Matthew Perry is pretty bad. He's never really stepped away from his character on Friends, and it just doesn't translate to film. Efron is solid. I think he's given some ridiculous scenes, but for the most part he does fine with the majority of the camera time. Thomas Lennon was scene stealing in everyone of his moments. He plays an uber geek who got rich in software, and he's now tricked out with everything you can imagine from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and so on. His geekiness is hysterical, and it's almost too much when he starts speaking elvish at the dinner table while on a date with the Principal, who is well played by Melora Hardin.

I thought for a moment, despite how mediocre the film had been up to that point, that the ending was going to be good. The scene in the courthouse where Efron's character reads the letter from adult Mike is fairly heartwarming, and when Mann's character finds the letter, I thought it was both surprising and clever. I'm not trying to spoil the scene, though some may be able to guess it. None the less, the film gets back on its original pace, culminating in a predictable and rather bad/cheesy moment finish to on.

Verdict: Though the performances were solid, and Lennon was absolutely hysterical, the story was quite generic and at times far too corny. ☆☆