17 Again, I'd see it again

17 Again

Director - Burr Steers

Starring – Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Melora Hardin, and Mathew Perry

I am a big Mathew Perry fan, and that is the only reason I allowed my wife to convince me to watch this movie. He is just such a funny guy that I figured I could give this movie a shot. Well it was worth it, 17 Again does what a lot of stupid teen romance comedies fail to do, and that is be funny. Usually these movies are good for a snicker and they make my wife laugh but I am usually left unsatisfied and bored. However 17 Again has enough adults in it, and is more about adults than other teen comedies, that I could actually laugh at the jokes.

I like comedies about adults and adult relationships. I don’t like comedies that make high schoolers look like a bunch of horny, boozing, morons. I’ll admit there are high schoolers out there that are horny, boozing, morons, but for the most part Hollywood capitalizes on this mentality and makes kids think that this is the only way to get through high school. Unfortunately 17 Again still follows this general prescription for stock movie high schools but it actually tries 9kind of) to promote responsible sexuality and abstinence for a change.

What works in this overused plot is the hilarious actors and the straight faced comedy. Zac Efron plays Mathew Perry. It is like he sat down one weekend and watched every episode of friends. Everything he does it was like watching a young Mathew Perry, and his interaction with adults of the film made it interesting and funny.



The movie opens with high school senior Mike O’Donnell (Mathew Perry – adult version – and Zac Efron – teen version) the basketball star who leaves the dreams of college ball for a life with his impregnated high school sweet heart. Flash forward 30 years and he is now a moaning and groaning has been who wishes he could do it over again. He is getting a divorce (his wife is sick of him always using her as his excuse for not being successful), his kids don’t really like him, and he loses his job. So through unexplained magic with a Santa Clause looking janitor Mathew Perry becomes Zac Efron who takes on high school again and gets a chance to grow closer to his kids then he thought possible.

I liked this movie because it was an adult in high school trying to fix the problems he had to deal with himself. It was an adult comedy with kids in it… kind of. It is true this is more of a kids movie (barely, with the amount of sexuality in it I wouldn’t let my kids watch it, though a teenager could see it), when I say kids I mean like high school age kids.



What I am trying to say is that the fun characters and the witty dialogue and banter are what make this film so funny. The humor is very enjoyable, especially to Mathew Perry fans. I think after Zac Efron gets over being a teen idol he has a decent career ahead of him. I also have to add that the side kick best friend in this movie Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon) is absolutely hilarious. He is probably one of my favorite side characters in a romantic comedy and the movie is worth it just to see this funny little guy.

Overall I’ll give 17 Again a 7.5 out of 10. It is an above average romantic comedy that delivers serious laughs. It was well scripted and perfectly casted. And while I hate high school comedies in general this one is one of the better ones of its class. You want a good date flick? Get 17 Again, it’ll make you laugh.



Sex/Nudity – 5 out of 10 – There is a lot of sexual dialogue in this movie, almost all of it involving teenagers. One boy is pursued constantly by three different girls all who make suggestive comments to him. One girl is alone in a bedroom with a boy and she tries to have sex with him, but he talks to her about him being in love with another girl, she is very sexually aggressive. There is a lot of heavy kissing an petting between a teen couple. A man works at a pharmaceutical ad company and they discuss Viagra giving you users a 4-hour erection. There is one scene in a teen part where a nude boy with a large shield covering his privates runs through the scene.

Violence/Gore - 4 out of 10 – There are a couple of fist-a-cuffs and scuffles, one boy is hit repeatedly in the face, but there is no blood or even bruising. There is some high school bullying, one kid is duct tapped to the toilet.

Profanity – 5 out of 10 – 2 mouthed or not completed “f” words, some sexual references and about 20 other mild obscenities and religious exclamations.