17 AGAIN Review

I’ve heard once that Zac Efron wanted to transition from a High School Musical star into a serious actor. If 17 AGAIN is his way of doing that, then it could use some more work. Call me old fashion but 17 AGAIN masquerades itself as a family movie when in fact… it has so many references that are not meant for younger viewers, those Hannah Montana fans which I’m sure are also the target audience of this movie. But I don’t want to completely trash this movie because the themes have saved it from becoming a disaster.

What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Class of 1989, Mike O’Donnell is a star on his high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlett and the baby he just learned they are expecting. Almost 20 years later, Mike’s glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart, he has been passed over for a promotion at work, his teenage kids think he is a loser, and he has been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-techno-billionaire best friend Ned. But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, Mike may look 17 again, but his thirtysomething outlook is totally uncool in the class of 2009. And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.

If you’re a Zac Efron hardcore fanatic, you’d say OMG in awe frequently because 17 AGAIN keeps showing moments and shots meant to glorify Efron. By the way, after watching this, I’m pretty sure a part of Efron want to stay as a teen idol, it’s obvious that he loves the attention.
Actingwise, like I said, it could use some more work. He plays a younger version of Mike O’Donnell who’s been given a second chance to relive his high school years and he uses it to win back his family. Zac Efron plays it with a bit of coolness and comic with the dancing and basketball skills, his usual HSM materials.. but when it comes to dramatic parts, it seems as though he’s not quite there yet. Maybe because he doesn’t have that presence.. when we see him on the screen, we still see Efron, not his character. But I do admire him for trying.. and for hitting on Leslie Mann, the ‘cougar’
Just wanna throw it out there, I love Leslie Mann,.. I hope her husband Judd Apatow didn’t hear me say that and come punch me in the face. Leslie Mann is a darling, she can melt your heart just by looking right back at you. Excellent talent too, I think she’s under-appreciated. The tension she has with Matthew Perry is prove that she has a certain level of commanding performance.

I think what Efron needs to do is choose challenging roles, Indie gigs that will push his skills to the limit. Plus, it would help to change his stage name.. the name Efron sounds like a B-list porn star.
From the trailer, I thought ‘man, Thomas Lennon is going to suck real bad’ but surprisingly, he’s actually funny in this movie as the dorky geek best friend named Ned. LOTR and Star Wars fans would be proud of him.
I don’t mind the themes and the message that this movie’s trying to tell. I just wish it could find better, more compelling ways to execute them but a story about a guy who doesn’t realize how lucky he is to have a great wife and two special kids instead of regretting the past is good for the soul. Despite everything else that might or might not lame about this movie, in the end it means well, that’s why I see it as average.

* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film