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17 Again

Ah, to be 17 again. Judging from the outset of this film, you would think it would be perfect. Mike O’Donnell is the school’s star basketball player, getting ready for the game of his life, where a scout from the big university will be in attendance to watch him play. Yet, just seconds before the beginning of the game, his girlfriend drops a bombshell: she is pregnant. As the game begins, Mike makes the right decision and quits basketball to focus on his family.

Fast forward nearly two decades and Mike is a beer-bellied man full of regret. He can’t help but blame his family for his situation. This is causing his family to fall apart. He’s divorcing his wife and his kids don’t care to spend time with him. If only he had the opportunity to do it all over again!

While at the school and musing over his high school basketball picture, he is approached by a janitor who will later give him this chance.

What can I say, I enjoyed “17 Again.” It’s not a particularly great movie, but it is just very, very watchable. And aside from devolving into some “High School Musical” moments (such as when Mike lectures the bully while doing basketball tricks in the middle of the cafeteria or when he is doing a choreographed dance with the cheerleaders before the big game), Zac Efron is a major reason why this movie works. He even manages to have believable charisma with Leslie Mann, his wife in the movie, who is 15 years his senior.

What Mike decides to do is help his kids. His son is a nobody who gets bullied, so he decides to help him make the basketball team. His daughter is in a relationship with a loser, so he decides to help her see that going to Georgetown is the best decision.

Yet, my favorite part of the movie is Thomas Lennon, who plays Mike’s nerdy best friend, Ned, who has grown into a multimillionaire. He spends the majority of the movie trying to woo the school’s principal, going so far as using a technique called “peacocking,” which, once you see it, will make you chuckle heartily.

“17 Again” will not go down in the pantheon of memorable kids movies like “The Goonies” or even “Angels in the Outfield,” but it will be your guilty pleasure for at least one night.

Written by: Manny Carrasco

Reviewers Rating: 6
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 2

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