Move over, Hannah Montana. Teen heartthrob and High School Musical star Zac Efron is taking your place. At the box office, at least. Last weekend, “Hannah Montana: The Movie” was the No. 1 movie in America, but this weekend, the title goes to Efron’s new flick, “17 Again.”
What does it say about America that in the last two weeks the No. 1 spot at the box office is held by a Disney Channel star? Maybe it’s that screaming 12-year-old girls and their parents are the ones who will still head to the theater in droves during a financial crisis. Forget about thought-provoking films that win awards in categories like art direction and best screenplay — apparently, America just wants Efron.
But, let’s be honest; it’s hard not to want him. Even if you’re so over the Disney Channel thing, you might still enjoy watching Efron strut around the silver screen in well-fitting jeans and aviators for two hours. He even manages to make eating a Nutella, mayonnaise, Doritos and pickle sandwich look hot. With a few feature films under his belt, Efron is slowly moving his career beyond the “High School Musical” realm. His genuine performance in “17 Again” is a success. But can he star in a movie where he’s not dancing or playing basketball? We’ll have to keep waiting to find out.
“17 Again” starts out as follows: Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy gets girl pregnant, walks out on the basketball game that could get him a college scholarship — and they live happily ever after.
Or not.
Twenty years later, Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry, “Friends”) is past his prime and never lived up to his potential. He seems to blame his wife (Leslie Mann, “Knocked Up”) for his disappointing life, and, as a result, his marriage is in shambles. In just the first few moments, we see teenage Mike (Zac Efron, “High School Musical”) as the good guy and adult Mike as the loser.
Then one day, after reminiscing about his high school glory years, adult Mike falls into a terribly computer-generated swirling black hole and emerges as his teenage self. Mike and his dweeby millionaire best friend Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon, “Reno 911!”) decide Mike’s “spirit guide” must want Mike to go back to high school so he can have another chance. “I’m going back to high school!” teenage Mike shouts with joy. He soon discovers, however, that high school is not about helping himself but about helping his family.
Hilarity ensues as teenage Mike tries to navigate his way through high school in 2009, which includes dealing with bullies, basketball, and … sex-ed class with his daughter.
The film’s biggest downfall is its overdone, contrived high school scenarios, full of details that just don’t make sense. For example, in 2009, no one listens to Limp Bizkit. No one wears head-to-toe bedazzled Ed Hardy gear. The captain of the basketball team probably would not date a girl with blue streaks in her hair. Some exceptionally stupid one-liners, like “If that boy were an apple, he’d be a delicious,” will make audiences gag.
However, a stellar cast injects comedy and charm into this otherwise nonsensical plot.
“17 Again” is not groundbreaking by any means, but it’s definitely got a few tricks up its sleeve (mostly in the form of performances by Lennon, Mann and Efron). At the very least, “17 Again” will make audiences laugh. It’s the No. 1 movie in America — so it can’t be that bad, right?
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
