Zac Efron, looking cool, is movie enough for the makers of 17 Again, a halfhearted fantasy that stars Efron in a role cryogenically frozen around the time of C. Thomas Howell's '80s heyday.
17 Again (2009)
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Reviews Counted:135
Fresh:78
Rotten:57
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Though it uses a well-worn formula, 17 Again has just enough Zac Efron charm to result in a harmless, pleasurable teen comedy.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual material and teen partying.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:10-04-2009
Synopsis:
What would you do if you got a second shot at life?
Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) is a star on the high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future...
What would you do if you got a second shot at life?
Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) is a star on the 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 Scarlet and the baby he just learned they are expecting.
Almost 20 years later, Mike's (Matthew Perry) glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlet (Leslie Mann) 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 (Thomas Lennon).
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 among the class of 2009.
And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.
New Line Cinema Presents An Offspring Entertainment production, 17 Again, starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight, Melora Hardin and Matthew Perry.
The film is directed by Burr Steers from a screenplay by Jason Filardi. The producers are Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot. Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Keith Goldberg and Jason Barrett are the executive producers, with Dara Weintraub serving as co-producer.
The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by director of photography Tim Suhrstedt, production designer Garreth Stover, editor Padraic McKinley and costume designer Pamela Withers Chilton. The music is composed and conducted by Rolfe Kent, and the music supervisor is Buck Damon.
17 Again will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. --© Warner Bros
Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon
Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight, Melora Hardin
Director: Burr Steers
Director: Burr Steers
Screenwriter: Jason Filardi
Producer: Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Studio: New Line Cinema
Reviews for 17 Again
If most of the summer fare is popcorn, consider 17 Again the cotton candy desert.
17 Again is yet another teenage flick that is completely out of my demo and completely unoriginal but delivers great laughs and an overall fun experience.
The filmmakers don't give their viewers credit for a minimum level of observation and, as a result, have produced a sloppy, lazy motion picture.
Keeps people and things moving fast enough so that you don't have time to worry about the details, like the inanity of the story.
This timelessly universal wish-fulfillment tale unfolds with endearing tenderness and a light touch.
I suppose I should be impressed that 17 Again turned out to be bad in a way I did not anticipate: it is awkward and creepy.
Efron is brilliant here, bursting with personality and showing a mastery of comic timing.
A delightful, crowd-pleasing comedy radiating with a charismatic performance by Zac Efron. It's pure, undiluted fun.
It's not going to blow your mind or change your world, but 17 Again has a heart, a brain and a funny bone.
If you can't figure out what happens, you've never seen a movie. And if you haven't, please, God, don't start with this one.
The result is lumpy and irritating, but 17 Again regroups whenever Efron is back on screen.
Though not as clever as 13 Going on 30 or Freaky Friday, it's also not as hokey as Hannah. For a swoon-fest aimed at tweens, 17 Again has a lot going for it.
Efron has no edge. And although that edgelessness might prolong his career, it keeps 17 Again from having anything surprising to say about teenage life in 2009.
17 Again is product, loaded with high fructose corn syrup so the girls will like it, and as meaningful as an afternoon at the mall.
For me, 17 Again is mildly diverting. For the tweens who are its target audience, Efron's outside shot is a three-pointer.
You know those movies that look like they're going to be really insipid and then completely surprise you? 17 Again isn't one of those.
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