I believe that behind the singing, the dancing, the basketball, the Disney brainwashing, the Hollywood smile, the flowing soft hair, the chiselled good looks, the piercing blue eyes you can swim in, the toned, muscular bo...
Hmm... Seems I got a tad carried away there. Where was I? Ah yes, I believe that behind all that superficial (yet godlike) nonsense, there is a bloody good actor behind Mr. Efron’s perfect visage. I believe that one day we will all see the artist formerly known as Troy Bolton lifting one of those prestigious gold men in triumph of being able to break free from tween sensation to the star of our time.
To say that in 17 Again, Zac is soaring, flying, there not being a star in heaven that he can’t reach would not only be the worst joke of all time, but also completely accurate. In High School Musical 3 Efron showed symptoms pointing to the fact that he can actually act, and in his first starring role away from the all powerful HSM franchise he takes this to the next level. Comedy scenes? He can do them with his eyes shut. Male bravado? Done and done. Emotional scenes which require him to cry? You bet. Yeah, I was surprised too, but it seems that the boy actually wants to pursue a serious career in acting, as opposed to excreting dodgy R&B tracks or being typecast as a homosexual like his old Disney chums.
Instead of spending this review praising my new favourite person in the whole wide world, I should probably mention that 17 Again follows Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry being Chandler Bing), a depressed, middle-aged man who just can’t stop thinking about what could have been. At high school Mike was captain of the basketball team and about to land a scholarship that could change his life. But he threw it all away for a girl (later wife) who he isn’t even sure he loves anymore. Living with his best friend Ned (a scene-stealing Thomas Lennon, see Joey Tribbiani’s identical hand twin), Mike becomes even more hopeless, just wishing that he could go back and live it again. And of course, his wish is magically granted when he falls off a bridge cum time portal. The brilliance of the film is that it doesn’t feel the need to explain any of this hoo-hah, not even at the end, making it 100 minutes of good fun without getting bogged down in revelations.
Many films of our time try to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood, but none are as successful as 17 Again. The film is one part teen drama to one part family values piece, but all under the one umbrella of regaining a love for life and those around you. The teenage Mike must not only satisfy his own school experience, but also decides to help out his children as they deal with rejection and basically, growing up. These two ends of the spectrum are balanced perfectly, so that you do not feel that one is given more weight than the other. This equilibrating is actually what makes up the other great success of the film: the comedy. Efron has impeccable comic timing, whether it is when he is flirting with his own wife as a teen, or putting down the school bully with penis related jibes. The comedic moments in the film often come at the pinnacles of the mushy ones, meaning that the ‘be proud of who you are’ message does not seem sappy or overplayed. Zac may be brilliant, but behind the big belly laughs (and there are many) is Thomas Lennon as geeky best friend Ned. His complete social retardation, especially when chatting up the Principal, is pure comedy gold, as he spouts sci-fi rubbish like “our hands just made a baby” when greeting her.
Of course, 17 Again is not a perfect film, and does have some real stinkers in it (“If you were an apple, you’d be a Delicious”) but it really is a surprise success in this month leading up to the Harry Potters, Star Treks, Terminators and Transformers that will dominate the summer.
A star is born.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Advantages: Brilliant performance from Zac Efron, great story, very funny and lovely film Disadvantages: A bit disappointed with Matthew Perry, screaming girls in cinema
frankiefromings13 19.04.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of 17 Again (DVD)
Advantages: Zac Efron has moved on a lot since High School Musical - great comic timing Disadvantages: A bit teeny for some but I think it's enjoyable no matter what!!
emmajt81 13.08.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of 17 Again (DVD)
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