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Movie Description
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL and HAIRSPRAY heartthrob Zac Efron stars in this comedy from director Adam Shankman. Matthew Perry (FRIENDS) stars as 36-year-old Mike O'Donnell, a man who isn't happy with how his life has turned out. So with a little magic, he turns into his 17-year-old self (Efron) and gets a second chance. 17 AGAIN also stars Leslie Mann (KNOCKED UP), Thomas Lennon (RENO 911!), and Michelle Trachtenberg (GOSSIP GIRL)., In the vein of FREAKY FRIDAY, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, 13 GOING ON 30, and other "switch" comedies, 17 AGAIN answers the fantasies of disgruntled middle-aged parents everywhere, as high school basketball star turned average failure of a dad Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) gets to begin again at age 17 (where--bonus!--he's played by Zac Efron). A strangely IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE-style freak storm sends his body back through time to age 17, and since he's been living with his nerdy zillionaire buddy (Thomas Lennon) after being kicked out of the house by his wife, Scarlet (Leslie Mann), she and their kids (Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight) aren't privy to the change, enabling Mike to be covert father while posing as a high school student, and to tempt his wife into quasi-cougardom. The temptation never gets too far, thank heavens, for Efron belongs not to any one woman but to all the girls enraptured by his star turn in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. He's the reason to see the film and he clearly has great fun playing someone much older and squarer than himself (the idea that he will eventually become Perry again is allowed to carry its own melancholy existential charge). Directed by Burr Steers (IGBY GOES DOWN), this is breezy fun for the whole crazy family, with a soundtrack that includes new and classic songs from the likes of Cat Power, Santogold, Kenny Loggins, and Young M.C.
Industry Reviews
"Efron does a fine job in letting the older man seep through his boyish exterior. As the siblings, Knight and Trachtenberg each have moments when they shine..."
Hollywood Reporter - Kirk Honeycutt (04/09/2009)
"[E]nergetic....Efron is ideally cast as a fresh-faced youth with the conservative attitudes of a middle-aged man....The thesp gets a few amusing monologues to play..."
Variety - Justin Chang (04/09/2009)
3 stars out of 5 -- "Efron has a Tom Cruiseish charm, and a lot of confidence....17 AGAIN is pleasant..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (04/15/2009)
"[Efron] has a genial charm and decent comic timing....For a swoon-fest aimed at tweens, 17 AGAIN has a lot going for it."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (04/19/2009)
"[T]hanks to a great performance from Zac Efron, it's actually enjoyable and entertaining..."
Premiere (04/16/2009)
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