Search - 17 Again on DVD

Sharon C. (Sierrastar) from BLYTHEWOOD, SC
Reviewed on 8/25/2010...

I thought this was going to be funny but it turned out rathing boring and is definitly not a keeper at least not for me.

1 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Michelle S. (Chelly10s) from W HOLLYWOOD, CA
Reviewed on 1/15/2010...

Falls flat. Not too funny, but I think younger audiences might appreciate it more. The relationships between all the characters seemed awkward. Of course, Zac Efron looks nothing like Matthew Perry, but that's a minor detail :) I gave it 3 stars, and I think it might be a 3.5 star movie for a teen, especially an Efron fan.

1 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.

Lewis P. (Turfseer) from NEW YORK, NY
Reviewed on 10/16/2009...

'17' never finds its own voice within Alternative Universe sub-genre

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

17 Again is the latest entry in what I call the 'alternative universe' sub-genre. Three films come to mind as a point of comparison: 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Back to the Future' and 'The Family Man'. In all of these films, the protagonist is ill at ease in his ordinary world and must overcome obstacles in an alternative universe to improve his own life as well as family members and the community at large. In this type of film, the protagonist must have a compelling reason for entering the new, 'special' world.

Before Zac Efron's 'Mike O'Donnell' becomes '17 Again', the reason he is propelled into an alternative universe (so he can learn a critical life lesson), is hardly compelling. O'Donnell's dissatisfaction with himself is explored superficially. Would some young bimbo who's only been with a company for two months, beat out a top salesman for a job promotion so easily? I hardly think so. The point is that by turning O'Donnell, their protagonist, into a buffoon so early, the film's scenarists prevent us from taking him seriously.

Contrast this with a Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' who courageously battles terrorists as he is propelled into the alternative universe of 1955 where his parents are teenagers; or Jack Campbell of 'The Family Man' who, as a hardened corporate leader, pulls off one of the biggest mergers in US history or a George Bailey, who as President of the Building & Loan in 'It's a Wonderful Life', deftly prevents the evil Potter from taking over the mortgages of homes of numerous people in his community. These other (and better) alternative universe films are better because the stakes are much higher.

Both Bailey and Campbell are nuanced characters whose desire for 'upward mobility' lead to an inner crisis. Campbell's metamorphosis is much more benign than George Bailey. His encounter with his 'new family' leads him to gradually embrace new values but in the end realizes he must go back to his old life; Bailey's illusion of becoming a big success is shattered when Uncle Billy loses the deposits and he now faces arrest as an embezzler. The writers of 17 Again have nowhere to go with Mike's 'internal arc'—unlike the characters in 'IAWF' and 'TFM', the adult Mike is too much of a sad sack to have a real inner crisis. Even his failed relationship with his wife packs little punch. Why does she reject him? Because he's basically a wuss who never finishes anything (hardly the kind of stuff that leads to a 'dark moment of the soul'—the main crisis point at the end of Act 2).

The writers of '17 Again' are on more solid ground in tackling the story's external arc. The idea is similar to 'Back to the Future'. Marty McFly's inner crisis isn't as important as his duty to transform the lives of his dysfunctional parents. You'll recall that Marty does everything in his power to make his father more confident so that he can ask his mother out to the fateful high school dance where they fall in love. Similarly the young Mike must inculcate confidence in his son by getting him on the basketball team as well as convincing his daughter not to go out with 'Stan', the bad boy 'psycho' she's fallen in 'love' with.

'Back to the Future' did have the wonderful 'Biff', the classic villain who was the perfect foil for the ebullient Mary McFly. Stan, unfortunately, remains completely undeveloped in the 17 Again plot. I couldn't understand why he didn't slug the Young Mike right away after he's humiliated by him in the lunchroom. Stan has little to do after that scene except make out with Maggie, O'Donnell's daughter, in Young Mike's presence. Unlike the nuanced face-off between Marty and Biff in BTTF, all Stan can do is constantly slug Mike in the face.

There are even more awkward moments including the scene where O'Donnell's daughter tries to seduce her father and the young O'Donnell kisses his wife in front of a crowd of people at a party. The scenes are reminiscent of Marty McFly's encounter with his 'young' mother in the car outside the dance hall. In that scene, they mutually agree that 'it doesn't feel right'. In 17 Again the writers have trouble resolving the incestuous encounters in a satisfactory manner: O'Donnell denies he's gay to his daughter and shrinks away; the wife on the other hand slaps O'Donnell in the face.

Occasionally there are some witty moments in 17 Again. Consider the nice bit when Mike is gently slapped in the face in rapid succession by his wife, daughter and her girlfriends—and soon afterward, wacky best friend Ned also affectionately slaps him multiple times after he uses his friend's house to host a party without his permission.

There's little rising tension in 17 Again. The 'dark moment' at the end of Act 2 features a nice scene where Mike, in the persona as Ned's son, reads a touching 'letter' to his wife during divorce proceedings and after he leaves she discovers the note merely contained directions to the courtroom. But when Mike rushes back at the climax, he does the same thing he did in the beginning of the film at the basketball game: embrace his wife! What has really changed? Overcoming his 'wussiness' just doesn't cut it. In contrast, think of George Bailey when he blurts out to Bert the Cop, "Isn't it wonderful? I'm going to jail". Now that's a transformation we can really care about!

Zac Efron does a fine job as the young Mike O'Donnell. And the subplot, the goofy romance between Ned and Principal Jane Masterston is occasionally amusing. But '17' never finds its own voice within the alternative universe sub-genre. Even worse, the stakes aren't high enough for us to really care about Mike O'Donnell's journey, which unfortunately must be characterized as decidedly 'lightweight'.

1 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.

Suzanne B.
Reviewed on 8/25/2009...

Stale premise, yes, but somehow it didn't seem that way because of the antics of the cast and a very funny script. Zac Efron is wonderful in the lead role. Lots of laughs and a few touching scenes made this an extremely enjoyable film. Minor problems: 1. I don't see much of a resemblance between Efon and Matthew Perry and they are supposed to be playing the same person during different ages 2. I don't know why more of the characters did not recognize him at 17 (the coach, his kids, his BFF, etc.)

3 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.

Karen D.
Reviewed on 8/22/2009...

I really Liked this movie a lot it is about a guy Mike O'Donnell who is the star of the Basket Ball team in 1989 he has this big chance of receiving a scholarship but all this changes the night of the game He ends up leaving the game and ends up marrying his high school sweet heart, Twenty Years later Mike is living with his Best friend Ned and his wife has filed for divorce from him, While Mike is picking his kids from school he runs into this janitor who ask's him if he would like to return to 17 and do it over again as in have a fresh start Mike admits he would so later that night Mike falls into a watery vortex and is seventeen again, but he is not reliving his senior year in 1989...but right now in 2009.
As the hot new kid in his children's high school, Mike proves to be a better father to them as their peer than as a there father, while Scarlett sees in him everything that attracted her to her husband two decades before. As Mike stands up to the school bully and his unsuspecting daughter's flirtations with him.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.