17 Again

Now Showing

In Cinemas 10/04/09

Director: Burr Steers

Stars: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Thomas Lennon, Leslie Mann, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight

Year: 2009 Running Time: 100 mins Rating:

Zac Efron follows the High School Musical series and Hairspray with this second chance at life teenage comedy. Efron is popular high school senior and basketball champion Mike O'Donnell, who decides against a college scholarship when his girlfriend Scarlett falls pregnant. 20 years later, he's separated, estranged from his kids and in a dead-end job… and grown up in to Matthew Perry. However, after a run-in with the mysterious school janitor he finds himself magically returned to his 17 year old body, and back at school to right past mistakes.

Review

The tween and teen sensation that is Zac Efron displays his supernova star wattage once more with this reversal of the classic kids’ film Big.

Whether it does for him what Big did for Tom Hanks is debatable, but there is no doubt Zac addicts everywhere will leave very happy (the very first shot has their idol shirtless).

Pitched between the body swap of movies of the 80s (without the actual body swap) and Back to the Future, this is edgier than those High School Musical movies. A 12 certificate for sexual innuendo it includes passing mentions of erections and teen pregnancy, and the adolescent Mike has to fight off advances from his hormonally charged teenage daughter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Trachtenberg).

But, being 37 years old inside, Zac is able to do such parent friendly things as espouse the virtues of abstinence in a Sex Ed. class, verbally dress down the school bully trying to reach last base with his daughter, and boost the confidence of his harassed, wallflower son (Knight).

Mike’s attempts to woo back his soon-to-divorced wife (Mann, Mrs Judd Apatow) eat into too much high school screen time, but Igby Goes Down director Steers attempts to go for character over gross-out, even if Jason Filardi’s scattershot script can’t get the balance between romcom and knockabout comedy right.

Adults will find amusement in Mike’s discovery that waking up in a 17 year old body is akin to acquiring superpowers, while his nerdy best friend (Lennon) is good for giggles in his attempt to woo the high school principal.

Three stars for its undemanding fun and occasional wry barb about lost youth. But, add one or even two more stars depending on how much bedroom wall space Zac currently commands.