So-so comedy will amuse young Efron fans more than parents.
17 Again (2009)
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Reviews Counted:135
Fresh:78
Rotten:57
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Though it uses a well-worn formula, 17 Again has just enough Zac Efron charm to result in a harmless, pleasurable teen comedy.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual material and teen partying.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 17, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $64,087,443
Synopsis:
What would you do if you got a second shot at life?
Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) is a star on the high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future...
What would you do if you got a second shot at life?
Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) is a star on the high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlet and the baby he just learned they are expecting.
Almost 20 years later, Mike's (Matthew Perry) glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlet (Leslie Mann) has fallen apart, he has been passed over for a promotion at work, his teenage kids think he is a loser, and he has been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-techno-billionaire best friend Ned (Thomas Lennon).
But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, Mike may look 17 again, but his thirtysomething outlook is totally uncool among the class of 2009.
And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.
New Line Cinema Presents An Offspring Entertainment production, 17 Again, starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight, Melora Hardin and Matthew Perry.
The film is directed by Burr Steers from a screenplay by Jason Filardi. The producers are Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot. Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Keith Goldberg and Jason Barrett are the executive producers, with Dara Weintraub serving as co-producer.
The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by director of photography Tim Suhrstedt, production designer Garreth Stover, editor Padraic McKinley and costume designer Pamela Withers Chilton. The music is composed and conducted by Rolfe Kent, and the music supervisor is Buck Damon.
17 Again will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. --© Warner Bros
Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon
Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight, Melora Hardin
Director: Burr Steers
Director: Burr Steers
Screenwriter: Jason Filardi
Producer: Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Studio: New Line Cinema
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Reviews for 17 Again
If you've seen any of the "body swap" movies that were made in previous years, then there's no need whatsoever to see 17 Again.
Yeah, if only he hadn't taken care of the high school girl he knocked up, everything would have worked out better for him. That's so wrong I can't believe it got through script development.
It's as if they had the idea and wanted to rush it out before Efron got too old or too edgy to put in a film like this.
Highly derivative but still moderately enjoyable comedy...mostly because of Efron, who's easily the best reason to see the picture.
It’s an entertaining showcase for its star, and that’s all it really needs to be.
Efron, frankly, lacks the comic agility required for a role this nimble; he's as elastic as hard plastic.
17 Again makes the '80s comedies on which it's modeled seem positively cutting-edge by comparison.
Despite occasional misfires, this Zac Efron comedy earns its laughs and delivers its life lessons.
I found him a sympathetic, and strangely believable, middle-aged dad.
Can't we just watch Freaky Friday again? Really, I'd take either version at this point.
Follows the same tired, well-worn path as other comedies in the same genre, but gets a boost from Zac Efron and Leslie Mann.
17 Again takes a while to get cooking, and at times it just feels like a pale imitation of 13 Going on 30. Still, it's often breezily entertaining, partly thanks to Efron, who certainly knows how to be cute.
If you're looking for the performance that might one day be characterized as Efron's embarrassing breakout role, this is a good bet.
17 Again isn't a sophisticated work of art, nor was it intended to be. It's often silly, sometimes fun silly, sometimes too silly.
Not only avoids shooting itself in the foot, but occasionally makes the dodging look like dancing -- and Thomas Lennon steals the film.
It's as if 17 Again were conceived as a batch of three-minutes sketches. Some of them are fine, many are awful, and they don't hang together at all because the movie is so plastic and phony and willing to sell out its characters for the sake of a laugh.
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April 20, 2009:
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April 19, 2009:
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This weekend Zac Efron scored his second number one opener in six months as his non-musical high school comedy 17 Again debuted powerfully in the top spot to lead the North... More...
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