'17 again' salvaged by sincerity
Let's agree right upfront that "17 Again" comes riddled with internal inconsistencies, silly and frivolous gestures, predictable twists and major debts to other better movies such as "Big" and "It's a Wonderful Life," even George Burns' 1988 body-switch comedy "18 Again!" just for the ripped-off title.
All that doesn't matter.
Burr Steer's romantic comedy embraces its inner preposterousness and runs with its fantastical premise of a burned-out father who gets an inexplicable, magic chance to relive his senior year.
"17 Again" musters up enough cuteness and sincerity to work on its own level as a remarkably astute fantasy more for middle-aged dads than for legions of girlie tweens - the film's primary market.
That would be because the charismatic Zac Efron, star of the hit "High School Musical" Disney movies, also stars in "17 Again."
He plays Mike O'Donnell, the hunky basketball whiz kid for his high school team back in 1989. One fateful night on the court, Mike has the chance to impress a college scout with the power to offer him a full ride scholarship.
That same night, his girlfriend Scarlett (Allison Miller) tells him she's pregnant. The gym grows dark and time slows down for Mike as he contemplates his next move.
Then, in a bold and unpredictable moment, he leaves the game to go with Scarlett and be a dad. (Why he can't be both a dad and a scholarship recipient is one of those things better off ignoring.)
Flash to 2009.
Mike (now played by "Friends" star Matthew Perry) is living with his rich, geeky best friend from high school Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon), a radical "Star Wars" dork.
Scarlett (now played by an effervescently sexy Leslie Mann) has filed for divorce because Mike has spent the last 20 years whining how he made the wrong decision in 1989. She wants him gone.
Their aloof, unengaged teenagers Alex (Sterling Knight) and Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) hate Mike and he doesn't even realize it.
During a trip down memory lane in the old gym, Mike confesses to a white-haired janitor (Brian Doyle-Murray) he wishes he could relive his glory days as a basketball star.
Poof! Two scenes later, he's reverted to his original Zac self, but now armed with his youthful physical powers and the knowledge and experience of a thirtysomething father.
The rest of "17 Again" is purposeful zaniness, with Mike saying the things that an adult would say to teens, such as Mike's impassioned plea for his health classmates, especially the girls, to practice abstinence. (The fact that Mike didn't back in 1989 is another point better off ignored.)
Old/young Mike reconnects with his own kids on their level, helping Alex along the path to self-actualization and protecting Maggie from her scuzzy, bullying boyfriend Stan (Hunter Parrish).
The awkward romantic feelings that young Mike has for his older, unsuspecting wife create a sense of tension, even impossible longing, rather than the cheap laughs most other films would go for.
The cheap laughs part falls to Ned, a socially inept geek who launches an embarrassing campaign to win the heart of Mike's smoldering principal (Melora Hardin), the kind of administrator who would make a trip to the principal's office not such a bad experience.
"17 Again"
Rating: 3 stars
Starring: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Michelle Trachtenberg
Directed by: Burr Steers
Other: A Warner Bros. release. Rated PG-13 for language, sexual situations. 95 minutes.