17 Again

Great movie

Really good movie. I've seen it a few times and loved watching it each time.

17 again is a comedy that many people may avoid because of the presence of Zac Efron, who up to that point had mostly just done the High School Musical series. That would be a huge mistake as it is actually a very good comedy. The premise is that a guy named Mike O'Donnell (played as an adult by Matthew Perry and as a teenager by Efron), basically going through a mid-life crisis (losing his job and going through a divorce). Wishing to relive his glory years as a high-school basketball player he is turned into his 17-year old self while still living in the present day. He discovers that he has to fix things with his family in order to become an adult again.The movie has a great supporting cast including Leslie Mann as Mike's ex-wife Scarlett, Michelle Trachtenberg (probably best known for her time on Buffy at that point) as his daughter Maggie, who of course falls for him when he is a teenager, Thomas Lennon as his best friend, Ned, Jim Gaffigan as the high school basketball coach, and Melora Hardin as the high school principal. Everyone in the cast did a great job in their roles, but Efron really showed that he had the acting chops to go between the comedic scenes and the more dramatic ones with ease, and he proved he could do more than just look good.For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds good in the HD format. It is not really heaving on special effects that make it a must-see in HD, but it the cinematography looks very good. For extras, the most extensive is about 16 minutes of deleted scenes, then there are a handful of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that range from about 3 minutes to about 12 minutes in length.Overall, the movie is good. It is a pretty wholesome comedy (although there is some swearing and a bit of sexual innuendo, really nothing more than that), which also adds in some touching elements. The easy comparison to make is with the movie Big with a bit of Its a Wonderful Life mixed in. While it is not as good as either of those movies, it was clearly inspired by them, yet manages to be its own story and does not try to copy either of those. It is a pretty simple formula that works. Efron, Mann, and Lennon have great chemistry, and all of the scenes with two or more of them interacting were great. It is definitely not one of the best comedies of all time, but it is worth checking out if you are looking for a pretty light-hearted comedy that can be watched with the family.

This is an odd movie to revisit, because Zac Efron has gone through a lot since this movie came out. His persona in movies has changed, and his personal life has seen some darker times than those we'd known of before this film. 17 Again serves to stand as a timeless semi-appropriate family tale about growing up and appreciating life the way it's given to you. Matthew Perry plays 37 year old Mike, who was the star basketball player on his team but left to take care of a girlfriend/baby in the middle of a huge game. Now he's in a dead-end job and feeling 40 on the horizon, unhappy and bored with his life he looks for change.Ta-da, some magic happens and now finds himself transposed into 17 year old Mike that (potentially due to CGI limitations at the time is not played by Matthew Perry) is played by a post-High School Musical Zac Efron. I remember seeing this film when it came out and thinking that it was a pretty decent "Freaky Friday", body swap movie for an ex-Disney star. It's borderline appropriate for families to watch, so I'd say even though it's PG-13 it's not overly raunchy and presents somewhat valuable life lessons. I wasn't sure it was going to hold up but honestly, I think the movie still plays well now.Zac Efron does a remarkably great job at playing Matthew Perry and somehow nails the quirks of his delivery and mannerisms. Matthew Perry does not really have to do that in reverse for his brief time on screen, so he really only serves to be a basis for the 17 year old version of the main character. Without Efron's performance I think this film would noticeably fall flat, but it's more charming than you'd think it would be. Leslie Mann plays Mike's soon to be ex-wife and really brings the other half-force of comedy that exists in the film as well.However, Zac Efron is completely hysterical in this and it deserves to be mentioned among some of the great high school comedies. He's playing a 37 year old man in a 17 year old's body, and we don't have the distraction of having to watch two characters go through a body swap magic trick like most of that "genre" would have you do. Efron knocks it out of the park in so many scenes including one where he picks a fight on the school bully because he is dating Mike's actual daughter, and completely ridicules him in the way that I, a 30-year old man would want to ridicule a bully.The little things like that scene and just how he reacts around certain characters like the mother of his kids, the kids themselves, and Thomas Lennon who plays his childhood friend make this movie so much fun. You know what you're getting into with Tom in a movie/show, and he's hilariously trying to date the high school principal all throughout the movie. The pay off for it is really great, and so is everything else with this story. It has a heartwarming ending and maybe not the ending Mike set out for, but a lesson to show that no matter what life has been handed to you it should be appreciated all the same.Case came in great condition with both the Blu-ray and DVD copies. There is no insert if the Digital Copy is to transfer to my PC, but ultimately not a deal-breaker. Another great used purchase from a Goodwill seller.

Good classic movie! Very engaging and entertaining

It’s a classic. What they get wrong with the portrayal of high school, they heavily make up for in jokes that still get me on the 10th rewatch. Excellent script, niche characters, a simple story line eclipsed by the portrayal the actors brought so astutely to each of their characters. And like, Zac Efron pre Hulk-face. Come on.

Tup

Actually could have used more of M Perry screen time. Very sad he couldn’t work thru his childhood. You know we all have stories, not all of us had his wealth to work thru it. Zac Enron’s Cheer scene, should have been longer actually filmed better…listen to me.But, it’s a great movie. The geek (who gets wedgies) is rich and saves the day. The jock grows up miserable but learns all he really has. It’s the Fairytale they stopped making, that we could all use!