Movie Review: 17 Again

17 Again
4 Lloyds – Family-Friendly
Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and teen partying.
Running Time: 1 hour 42 minutes

What would you do if you got a second shot at life?

In 1989 Mike O’Donnell was the star of his high school basketball team. With a college scout in the stands, his future was indeed bright, and within his grasp. But, just before the big game, his girlfriend Scarlett has something to tell him. It’s very important and O’Donnell presses her to tell him just as the game is about to begin.

Suddenly clouds move into what was a cloudless day!

As the game starts, and Scarlett leaves the gym, O’Donnell drops the ball mid-court and runs after her. Now, some 20 years later, Mike’s glory days are behind him. His future never really seemed to brighten up, and now his life is spinning out of control. His marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart. He’s been passed over for a promotion at work. His teenage kids think he’s a loser, and he’s been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-techno-billionaire best friend Ned.

This Is NOT Your High School Musical

If you think you’ll be seeing the High School Musical Zac Efron in 17 Again, think again. This is not a High School Musical movie. In the beginning it might look like a High School Musical as Efron is once again on the high school basketball court bustin’ some smooth moves with the cheerleaders. But, the scene quickly changes and any High School Musical flashbacks quickly become a thing of the past. If anything, 17 Again provides a great platform for Efron to make a shift from his High School Musical image into a more mainstream, and broader genre for his acting talent.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Zac Efron did a poor job in the High School Musical flicks. But, at 21 years of age, it’s time for him to move onto adult roles on the big screen. Personally, I think Efron’s decision to turn down the leading role in a Footloose remake was a very smart move. While the original Footloose was a great movie in its day, a remake of the Kevin Bacon flick was just wrong in so many ways. Had Efron taken that role, he would have been type-cast as a singer/dancer for the rest of his career.

17 Again falls into the category of a movie you cannot judge by its trailer. Not much is revealed in the trailer. Actually, it appears as though the producers were really trying to draw in the Efron HSM crowd. While that might work, those fans may be disappointed when they see the flick. Heading to the screening of this movie I knew it would fall into one of two categories…

Really good – Or – Really bad!

I’m happy to report, 17 Again…
Falls into the category of really good!

A Clever & Clean Movie

While it has a slow start, and almost what we could call a false start, once it gets into the meat of the movie, it’s very clever. With a PG-13 rating, it’s also nice to say that for the rating, 17 Again is a mostly clean movie too. There’s actually a very strong abstinence message in this movie. For that, we applaud the filmmakers, scriptwriters, and yes, even Zac Efron and Matthew Perry. All too often with movies aimed at teens, such as this one, producers feel the need to aim their message at the seedier side of youth. While it’s true there are scenes of partying, drinking, and talk about sex, one of the main thread themes revolves around respect and appropriate behavior.

In a nutshell, 17 Again tells the story of how the grass is not always greener on the side of the fence. In high school, it seemed Mike had it all together. But with one mistake, and then doing the right thing, life spins into a different direction. As time moves on, Mike finds himself unhappy and thinking he chose the wrong path for his life. However, in the end, he realizes he had chosen the perfect life, he just never appreciated it.

All in all, 17 Again is simply a fun movie. It shows Zac Efron is turning into a good actor. It also shows he can do more than just musicals. Overall this is a funny movie, with some great laugh out loud moments too. The writers worked for the humor, and it really works well in this movie.

Enjoy the show!
Dr. Rus