17 Again--Movie Review

Efron is back, and still playing basketball.

Many people would probably say that high school was either the worst four years of their life or the best. And even if you can't go back, that won't stop Hollywood from doing it--voila, you have director Burr Steers' set-up for 17 Again, a surprisingly fresh teen comedy starring preteen pin-up Zac Efron.

Twenty years after Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) gave up his dreams of a basketball scholarship to start a family with his pregnant high school sweetheart Scarlett (Leslie Mann), he finds himself unsatisfied with his average life. He and his wife are weeks away from finalizing their divorce, his two teenagers want nothing to do with him and his career is at a standstill.

After a strange encounter with a school janitor, Mike finds himself back in his high school body and at first thinks he's been given a second chance to relive the dreams that have slipped away. With the help of his best friend Ned (Thomas Lennon), he enrolls in his old high school where his own children now attend. As a new student, "Mark" (Zac Efron), he comes to realize just how little he knows about the lives of his children. 

His son, Alex (Sterling Knight), is a victim of bullying, and to make things worse, the bully is the boyfriend of his older daughter, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg). Now able to be their friend instead of their parent, he realizes his mission is to help his kids navigate the tricky waters of high school. And of course, he plans to mend his marriage before his divorce is finalized.

Is it the best movie you'll see this year? Absolutely not. The plot is shaky and there's no real concept of time. The movie doesn't have many original twists as it takes a lot of big cues from popular films of the past-parent-child love tensions à la Back to the Future, a Freaky Friday-type of intervention by a stranger, and a plot pretty much the opposite of Big. Easily the weakest part of the plot is how Mike actually morphs from teenager back to adult. Let's just say it involves a spinning vortex that could have benefited from a more creative execution. However, in the grand scheme of the movie's goal, it can be easily overlooked. The continuity is a bit off, but in a film that needs to get from point A to point B to start rolling, it can be forgiven.

For the most part, the dialogue is especially fun and overall writer Jason Filardi's script is well written and engaging. Ned's jokes, often with some sort of science-fiction reference, are intelligent and legitimately warrant a laugh. Of course there are some sappy moments when Mike/Mark is realizing his life is still a mess that are a little overdone. But for the most part, the plot stays light with the focus on Mark trying to adjust to high school life while having the mentality of a much older man.

With good luck, smooth moves and great comedic timing, Efron proves that he does have underestimated acting capabilities. He captures the same mannerisms and character that Perry displays at the film's beginning, making the jump that Perry could have once looked like Efron pretty believable.

However, while this is supposed to be Efron's movie, the real star of the film is Thomas Lennon as Ned. From his attempts to woo the high school principal (The Office's Melora Hardin) with his master of the Elvish language, to being the owner of a mansion that is an ode to fantasy world obsessions, Ned provides the quick humor that keeps you on your toes.

Although the boys may have most of the laugh-out-loud funny moments, due credit should go to Leslie Mann who has really proven herself as a comedic force in the past two years. As Mike's wife Scarlett, she perfectly captures both a quirky woman trying to begin a new career as a landscape designer and one reentering the dating world, all the while showing the vulnerability of a woman who is experiencing a major shift in the only life she has known for decades. The scenes between her and Efron have definite tension, but since she's clearly not your typical neighborhood cougar, their relationship is sweet.

17 Again is a solid teen comedy, but nothing more, which in a way makes it that much better for an easy laugh. It proves Efron isn't planning to market to 12-year-olds his whole life. Themes of sex and some stronger language may shock the ears of some younger kids who saw a basketball and had thoughts of High School Musical 4. But for older teens out there, it should defy the low expectations of Efron's cynical critics when it hits theaters this weekend.  Hopefully this is the start of Efron pursuing material more of his age in the future--but really, retire the basketball jersey.