17 Again

Release Year: 2009

Director: Burr Steers

Review:  Every once in a blue moon a quality family friendly, studio created, comedy gets made.  This is the mark '17 Again' hits.  It's a solid comedy, with genuine heart.  Zac Efron stars as Mike, a middle age man who gave up his basketball dreams to start a family, something he has never been able to fully come to terms with.  After getting separated from his wife, he is given the chance to start fresh as a teenager and try again.

 

The 'grown up magically being transported back to youth' thing has been done many times before, but really, what does it matter?  It's a fine plot device to explore aging, and usually generates plenty of comedy.  What I like most is that Mike is a good guy.  So many times I'm forced to root for characters who are generally bad people and who make terrible choices in their lives.  In this case, while he may be flawed, Mike doesn't do awful things.  He is a genuinely nice guy, who had to make tough choices in his life.  That's someone I can get behind, and am interested in exploring what the consequences of his decisions are, and whether they were worth it.  It's a great hook, and feeds into thoughtful commentary.

Not everything works.  Thomas Lennon is a great comedic actor, and he does well in his role, but his character the 'uber nerd' is a little over done and got a bit tired by the end.  And am I really supposed to by that Zac Efron turns into Matthew Perry in 20 years?  These are minor gripes however.  Efron does a fine job playing a fairly complex role.  The movie goes some interesting places, but manages to stay light and in it's genre.  It was a pleasant surprise when it so easily could have been the standard drivel.

Rating: 3.5/5