Stop me if you have heard of this plot line in a movie before. A teenager gets stuck in the body of an adult to see life from another perspective? Okay, sounds that familiar. But what about this? A middle-aged adult gets stuck living in the body of a teenager – of his teenage body. Still familiar, right? What about if these characters need to redeem themselves and switching bodies is the only way they can make things right? That still sounds like at least ten other movies, but the one thing that 17 Again has that all those other films don’t is High School Musical‘s Zac Efron, of course.
In 17 Again, Efron plays a high school basketball star named Mike O’Donnell, who abruptly quits the team when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. Almost 20 years later, Mike (now played by Matthew Perry) has gone from being a proud but good-hearted kid to a bitter, frustrated adult. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that his wife Scarlett (Leslie Mann) wants to divorce him, his career as a salesman is not going very well, and his kids Maggie and Alex (Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight) hate him. Then one day, while he is back at his old high school to pick up his children, he runs into a mysterious janitor (Brian Doyle-Murray) who overhears Mike complaining and wishing he were still in high school. Turns out the janitor has magical powers and grants Mike his wish. When Mike wakes up the next day, he is back in his teenage body. This leads Mike to re-enrolling at his old school, with the help of his best friend Ned (Thomas Lennon), who has made a fortune through various computer developments. But what is the real reason Mike has been sent back to his youth?
17 Again is nowhere close to being original. This is basically a body-switching comedy that has elements of Big, Freaky Friday, and a slew of others. But this film doesn’t stop there, you also have the life-saving redemption Capra-esque elements that can be found in It’s A Wonderful Life. So despite the fact that you know what is going to happen, this film is moderately funny throughout. There is also just enough heart to move things along, but it’s not overly sweet that it makes you sick. That being said, it’s still odd to watch the scenes with the older Mike Matthew Perry personality in his teenage Zac Efron body and his teenage daughter and wife, who don’t know that Mike is Mike. In addition, the old Mike is a little too preachy at times when he is back to being a teenager.
So while the plot and script are not the greatest, the acting more than makes up for things. This is obviously meant to be a star vehicle for Efron, and he really shows off his acting skills. Even High School Musical haters will have to admit that Efron has good comic timing and great onscreen chemistry with the rest of the cast. Of course, his fans will only want to see this movie, because he has his shirt off again. Besides Efron, though, Leslie Mann shows why she is such a great leading lady. Not only is Mann the main girl in almost every Judd Apatow movie (because she is married to him in real life), but because she is also an excellent actress. She really proves all the nay-sayers are wrong in this film. Thomas Lennon is also the main comic relief, and this could be a breakout role for him. As for Perry, his is just a cameo appearance that bookends the feature.
Teenage girls will no doubt watch this film for Zac Efron. They likely have seen few, if any, of the films that 17 Again borrows heavily from. But thanks to Efron, and co-stars Leslie Mann and Thomas Lennon, 17 Again is able to overcome all the shortcomings from the script to become an entertaining film. That’s not to say that 17 Again is better than Big or Freaky Friday or any of those other “body switching comedies”, because it’s not. It’s really an average film, but it’s worth a watch for anyone, even High School Musical haters, because of the acting.
The video included is available in both widescreen color presented at the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs, and fullscreen color presented at the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The quality is great, but you shouldn’t expect anything less than that since this is a newer film.
The audio included is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English and Spanish as well. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear, so no major problems here either. Again, you shouldn’t expect anything less.
The standard edition DVD has no extras. So if you want an audio commentary with Zac Efron, five “making of” featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a “way Cool” trivia track, you will have to go get the Blu-ray release.
Zac Efron and the rest of the cast actually save 17 Again from being unwatchable, and it’s worth a rental because of that. But it’ll surely be an instant purchase for the “I Love Zac Efron” faithful. Warner Bros. does DVD consumers a disservice by including no extras, so if you want ’em you gotta upgrade to Blu-ray.
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment presents 17 Again. Directed by Burr Steers. Starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Sterling Knight and Michelle Trachtenberg, Hunter Parrish, and Melora Hardin. Written by Jason Filardi. Running time: 102 minutes. Rated PG-13. Released on DVD: August 11, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
