17 AGAIN - REVIEW (ON DVD)
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Director: Burr Steers
Cast: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann
Rating: ***1/2
The High School Musical series introduced Zac Efron to the world and made him a heartthrob with teens and tweens the world over so it is no surprise that his charisma and expertise are used to harness that same demographic here. 17 Again is a story much like the Tom Hanks classic Big. Matthew Perry (Friends) plays Mike O'Donnell who is very much regretful of how his life has turned out and the decisions that he has made. He wishes he had a change to relive his glory days in High School and remake history to repair his broken dreams and make things right with his life.
Through a stroke of luck he is given that opportunity and is transformed into his 17 year old self - played by Efron. He is able to go back to Highschool and play on the Basketball team and set about a new life path for himself to do what he set out to achieve in the beginning.
Things don't go according to plan for Mike, as he realises things he never knew about himself, his children and his wife. He quickly realises that the gift of his transformation was not to help himself but to make things better for the people that he loves.
Efron his effortlessly cool here in almost the same role as the one that made him famous. Perry is at his clever best with all the nuances that we fell in love with him for as Chandler on Friends. Leslie Mann (Funny People) ia also an absolute treasure coping with the breakdown of her marriage to adult Nike and the sexual advances of a 17 year old Mike all at the same time.
Overall its a fun movie for lovers of Efron and Perry alike. It might just be a bit beyond Efron's loyal tween fan base though it hits the mark for the mass teen market. If you haven't seen Big, then see it also. You can't go past the original idea but this modern adaptation is well worth a second chance.
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Rat Chat
Cheers - CR.