Fans of High School Musical and Hairspray probably thought they knew what to expect from Zac Efron’s first major foray into the leading man role: a heartwarming, but safe story in which Efron’s character would prove charming, adorable and may accidentally sing and dance a little. Though 17 Again fails to remove Efron completely from his comfort zone — he does play a mean game of basketball much like HSM’s Troy and a dance sequence manages to sneak into the opening — the film gives him an opportunity to show he’s more than just a pretty face.
The storyline doesn’t exactly scream originality: the classic “If I Could Do It All Again” transformation tale is reworked with few creative additions. Present-day Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry) is plagued with regrets about how his life has played out. Looking to reminisce on the golden years of high school, when he was a hotshot basketball player with a college scholarship on the horizon, O’Donnell visits his former high school to gaze longingly at the plaques and trophies he helped secure. There, he runs into the proverbial, creepy, all-knowing janitor who senses his desire to relive his wasted youth and “grants” him his wish in a ridiculous, over-the-top transformation scene. Along the way — as we can all probably guess — he learns what’s truly important and becomes ready to take on his future headfirst again.
While anyone who’s seen 13 Going on 30 or Back to the Future could easily predict the flow of events, not many would expect the cast to deliver such strong comedic performances. Efron as the young O’Donnell is effortlessly cool and surprisingly funny. Not only does he charm the pants off of female audience members young and old alike, but he is actually believable as an adult trapped in a teenager’s body — no small feat for an actor that’s been toiling away in Disney musical fluff. Leslie Mann as Scarlett — O’Donnell’s high school sweetheart turned divorce-filing wife — is endearing and a perfectly understandable choice for the “dream” girl. Most notably, Thomas Lennon (I Love You, Man) brings home the major laughs as Ned Gold, O’Donnell’s hopelessly nerdy, Star Wars paraphernalia-collecting best friend in the past and present. His outlandish antics are enough to make even the most skeptical moviegoer crack up. Perry plays a minimal role in the film and thankfully so — his whining and complaining is more than a bit tiring.
17 Again also makes it a point to poke a little fun at itself. Allusions to previous “classic transformation tales” and “spirit guides” are incidents of the film’s self-awareness. Also, the film takes a few unexpected risks with its jokes. Yes, some sugarcoated — and maybe a little sickening — speeches about abstinence and bullying do rear their ugly head; but, off-the-cuff, hilarious because of their absurdity insults like “twinkle douche” soften the goodie-too-shoes vibe.
All in all, 17 Again is a pretty entertaining take on a been-there-done-that story — a pleasant surprise wrapped up and concealed in a veil of low expectations. As Efron’s vehicle to superstardom and first step off of the campy, musical path, the film gives him a fighting shot. His next role might just be the one that fully detaches him from the Disney machine.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
