Turns out there's more to Zac Efron than the grinning, vacant marionette from the High School Musical series.
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
17 Again is a comically responsible way for Efron to leave his teen roles behind and make his teen audience think about the adult decisions they now face.
The kid may not be the next Sean Penn, but he is definitely a movie star.
Efron dominates the screen with his charm and his effortless comic timing...
Tween audiences may be susceptible to Zac Efron’s smile and basketball skills but I’m sure their adult guardians will wonder what all the fuss is about.
Zac Efron is charming, Sterling Knight is a great young find, and second-chance comedies of grownups in teen bodies are timeless, so to speak. So why is this movie so creepy and pervy-seeming?
A stinker of a comedy ... Writer Jason Filardi wouldn't know a joke if it jumped up and bit him in the behind ... guaranteed 100% laugh-free.
If you had any doubts about whether Zac Efron is major star material, just watch the first few minutes of Burr Steers' 17 Again.
If this is one small step for the actor toward becoming a leading man, it is, for Hollywood movies, one more giant leap into infantilism.
The idea of going back to high school is so overdone, there was even an entire episode of Family Guy that parodied it.
A film most teenage girls will swoon over, and I guess I found myself being 17 Again in doing so too.
Even with actors who echoed each other’s mannerisms, 17 Again would still be lame.
Though there are mistaken identity moments of mirth, the cheese factor unfortunately lets it down...
An energetic but earthbound comic fantasy that borrows a few moves, if little inspiration, from Big and It's a Wonderful Life.
Though sweet and occasionally charming, the comedy is innocuous, formulaic and predictable, borrowing elements from Big, Peggy Sue, Back to the Future, so the only question is will it turn youth heartthrob Efron in his first lead role into a major star
Being 17 has never been so enticing! Guaranteed to lift your spirits, make you laugh and charm your socks off, this body switch comedy is wild, wacky and wonderful. If the crazy situations and characters don't suck you in, charismatic Zac Efron will.
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April 19, 2009:
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