17 again is a comedy that many people may avoid because of the presence of Zac Efron, who up to that point had mostly just done the High School Musical series. That would be a huge mistake as it is actually a very good comedy. The premise is that a guy named Mike O'Donnell (played as an adult by Matthew Perry and as a teenager by Efron), basically going through a mid-life crisis (losing his job and going through a divorce). Wishing to relive his glory years as a high-school basketball player he is turned into his 17-year old self while still living in the present day. He discovers that he has to fix things with his family in order to become an adult again.
The movie has a great supporting cast including Leslie Mann as Mike's ex-wife Scarlett, Michelle Trachtenberg (probably best known for her time on Buffy at that point) as his daughter Maggie, who of course falls for him when he is a teenager, Thomas Lennon as his best friend, Ned, Jim Gaffigan as the high school basketball coach, and Melora Hardin as the high school principal. Everyone in the cast did a great job in their roles, but Efron really showed that he had the acting chops to go between the comedic scenes and the more dramatic ones with ease, and he proved he could do more than just look good.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds good in the HD format. It is not really heaving on special effects that make it a must-see in HD, but it the cinematography looks very good. For extras, the most extensive is about 16 minutes of deleted scenes, then there are a handful of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that range from about 3 minutes to about 12 minutes in length.
Overall, the movie is good. It is a pretty wholesome comedy (although there is some swearing and a bit of sexual innuendo, really nothing more than that), which also adds in some touching elements. The easy comparison to make is with the movie Big with a bit of Its a Wonderful Life mixed in. While it is not as good as either of those movies, it was clearly inspired by them, yet manages to be its own story and does not try to copy either of those. It is a pretty simple formula that works. Efron, Mann, and Lennon have great chemistry, and all of the scenes with two or more of them interacting were great. It is definitely not one of the best comedies of all time, but it is worth checking out if you are looking for a pretty light-hearted comedy that can be watched with the family.
The movie has a great supporting cast including Leslie Mann as Mike's ex-wife Scarlett, Michelle Trachtenberg (probably best known for her time on Buffy at that point) as his daughter Maggie, who of course falls for him when he is a teenager, Thomas Lennon as his best friend, Ned, Jim Gaffigan as the high school basketball coach, and Melora Hardin as the high school principal. Everyone in the cast did a great job in their roles, but Efron really showed that he had the acting chops to go between the comedic scenes and the more dramatic ones with ease, and he proved he could do more than just look good.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds good in the HD format. It is not really heaving on special effects that make it a must-see in HD, but it the cinematography looks very good. For extras, the most extensive is about 16 minutes of deleted scenes, then there are a handful of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that range from about 3 minutes to about 12 minutes in length.
Overall, the movie is good. It is a pretty wholesome comedy (although there is some swearing and a bit of sexual innuendo, really nothing more than that), which also adds in some touching elements. The easy comparison to make is with the movie Big with a bit of Its a Wonderful Life mixed in. While it is not as good as either of those movies, it was clearly inspired by them, yet manages to be its own story and does not try to copy either of those. It is a pretty simple formula that works. Efron, Mann, and Lennon have great chemistry, and all of the scenes with two or more of them interacting were great. It is definitely not one of the best comedies of all time, but it is worth checking out if you are looking for a pretty light-hearted comedy that can be watched with the family.
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