17 Again

Sure, I would want to be 17 again if I meant I could be 17 and look like Zac Efron. Something tells me I would have a more exciting high school experience than I had when I was 17 and looked more like Duckie.

Matthew Perry stars as Mike – a guy whose world is falling apart. Back in high school, he seemed destined for greatness (because he looked like Zac Efron), but life stepped in the way, he made a huge decision and has been regretting it ever since. Magically, a demented janitor at his old high school shows up and turns Mike back into his 17-year old self (Efron). Now, Mike has a chance to right what went wrong, and start a whole new life, but learns more about his current path, family and estranged wife (Leslie Mann) along the way.

Can Mike turn things around?

What does he have to do to become 37 again?

You saw this movie when it was called Big. You saw this movie when it was called 13 Going On 30. Yet, 17 Again is fun, entertaining and even has a small brush with poignancy.

Rather than trying to be a dumbed down, overly teen oriented bad joke-a-thon, writer Jason Filardi and director Burr Steers make 17 Again into a deeper story about life, family, regret, and what’s important. It’s not going to blow your mind or change your world, but 17 Again has a heart, a brain and a funny bone.

Even better, some of the best comedy isn’t Efron trying to fit into the strange world of teenagers and making a fool of himself, but the moments when the young guy acts and sounds like a father with conviction. Efron gives the character the right amount of maturity and concern to make the speeches, fatherly advice and scoldings equally funny and sweet.

17 Again gets a bit drawn out and predictable at the end, but it’s much better than you might imagine.

17 Again is rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and teen partying.