17 Again - Movies Reviews

What's it about: Mike O'Donell (Perry) is a cranky mian seeing his personal and professional life going down the drain. His wife, Scarlett (Mann) is separated from him and they're in the throes of getting a divorce. Mike lives with his nerdy billionaire buddy, Ned Gold (Lennon).

But enough about Mike. We'll get back to him in a bit.

This is also the story of his kids one of whom is dating the school jock and the other, who always gets bullied by the same jock.

High school being high-school and broken families being broken families, they're all headed for disaster. Enter a janitor (Brian Doyle Murray, Bill's brother) who compels Mike to take a leap (of fate and back in time, as it were to seem). The usual hoo-haa and screaming later, a 17-again Mike decides what he has to do.
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He summarily gets an admission into the same school his kids attend. Twenty-odd years have passed since he has been there and done that and he has a great deal of catching up to do. Will it get him closer to his family (in ways he didn't expect) or will it drive him away from them further?

What's hot: Zac Efron is in this picture for a very obvious reason. As are Matthew Perry and Michelle Trachtenberg. In the grand scheme of things, they're perfectly cast. I'd really love to have the crib Ned has, light sabers et al.

If that doesn't rock, I don't know what does. Also the contrast in characters is fitting. A great touch, given that Ned's socially awkward and single but filthy rich (and still socially awkward) and Mike, the star athlete in school and once, most popular, now married, is presently a loser in life.
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The scene where Ned finds that the woman he's pursuing, is a kindred elfin soul, is too much fun. A simply made film, there's very little pretense involved.

What's not: Let's face it. Without the stereotypes, the film would simply not get the budget or the audience it wanted.

But the story (though a universal dilemma) seems forced. It's almost like a showreel to push for Zac's inclusion into the NBA. There's showboating galore. But seriously, why can't we have at least one slam dunk in the film?

What to do: Young at heart? This one's just up your alley. Just don't go in with too many expectations. And yeah, keep the tweens at home.

17 Again
U/A; Comedy
Dir: Burr Steers
Cast: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Michelle Trachtenberg, Thomas Lennon and Matthew Perry
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