I'm pretty picky about movies I'll spend money on nowadays. I fell in love with this movie because, in the middle of so much crud coming out of Hollywood, here is a show that actually praises abstinence and encourages families to work out their problems.The humor is incredibly clever, Zac Efron nailed Matthew Perry's mannerisms and intonations, and the storyline is charming.
I can't even count how many times I've watched this movie since buying it. I highly recommend it. And of course, I found it cheapest here on Amazon.
While the film is oh-so familiar, I thought Efron was engaging and with the help of comedians Jim Gaffigan and Thomas Lennon, the film is an easy watch with some funny moments. Efron shows he could be more than just a pretty face in this good natured teen comedy.I Got this movie to watch with my wife. I was expecting nothing but the typical teen flick, starring one of Disney's prefabricated Child Stars.
Wow! Zac Efron CAN Act! Who would've thought. This guy could turn into a HUGE star in the next few years and a Highly Respected actor if he makes good career choices. The movie was really good too. I was entertained the whole time and wasn't bored for not even a minute.
This movie reminded me a lot of Back to the Future. It wasn't as good (BTTF is a classic) but it was a pretty good effort and a pleasant surprise.
Read Best Reviews of 17 Again (2009) Here
If you took `Big', threw in a little `Disney's The Kid' and added an emotional heft of `It's a Wonderful Life' and you'd have the magic of '17 Again'. I really can't believe I just said all that, since walking into this movie I expected to find it mundane and worthless. I actually really liked this movie, like a lot.Sure, it's predictable, but in a charmingly fresh way.
The film tells the story of Mike, a one-time basketball star who gave up his dreams to marry his pregnant girlfriend. Twenty years later and Mike is bitter and dissatisfied with his life, which has weighed heavily on his wife Scarlett, who feels like the target of Mike's unhappiness. The film opens with Mike living at his best friend Ned's house while he awaits his impending divorce. Mike's teenage kids resent him and his wife is aching to love him, but her better judgment won't allow it. When Mike gets a freaky visit from a man no one else can see he is soon in for a strange yet much needed wake up call. After falling off a bridge, Mike finds himself 17 again, only this time he's living out his high school days in the present, with his wife and kids in arms reach. Taking this as an opportunity to fix his life, Mike begins mending relationships, but his current situation certainly makes it a tad difficult.
You don't need me to tell you that everything works out in the end, but the film works a lot of magic getting us there!
Personally, I didn't have much faith in Zac Efron. I was wrong. This kid has loads of charm and real talent that he uses to full effect here. The films more tender scenes are carried with the needed humor yet substantial emotional depth. Who wasn't near tears while Efron unloads in a classroom about the love he felt for his newborn daughter or when he pleaded in the courtroom for his wife to give him another chance? Efron NAILED this performance. He was slick, charming, cool and emotionally relevant. The supporting cast didn't do so bad either. Thomas Lennon (as the nerdy best friend) is ridiculously hilarious here, even when his character is a little too far over the top, and Leslie Mann is not only beautiful, but she is intelligently funny (I just love her work). Michelle Trachtenberg is like my new celebrity crush (man has she grown up) and Sterling Knight balances his awkwardness with layered bravado as Mike's son.
Yes, this story has been told before, but that doesn't mean this one isn't just as good as the others. It's far from what I expected, but that is a very good thing.
Want 17 Again (2009) Discount?
This movie is a delightful romp with a lot to offer. Zac Efron is amazing in his part as Mike, with talent to burn. He's sweet but takes no prisoners when dealing with ruffians, and his moves on the dance floor and his agility with a basketball are equally impressive. He demonstrates his acting chops in this movie as well, going from winsome to tough to romantic and all-around likeable without ruffling a feather.Thomas Lennon as his quirky Star Wars sidekick is hilarious and adorable. His role is more than a supporting one, as his storyline is given more space than one might expect, but it adds a lot to the movie's humor and keeps it lighter than it would be with the sometimes gritty problems that Mike faces with his children's issues and the difficulties of trying to recapture his wife's love.
Matthew Perry's part is too small to do him justice, but he fulfills it well. The movie focuses mainly on Zac Efron's part in regaining what the adult Mike, played by Perry, cannot get back on his own.
This movie is so enjoyable that you're willing to suspend disbelief when you need to. Mike's wife, for example, seeing him exactly as he looked when he was a teenager, is very slow in picking up on the fact that he IS her husband as a teenager, and she seems blandly accepting of the story concocted by Lennon's character that the young Mike is his son. Of course, the transformation from 30-year-old to 17-year-old Mike is another leap, but the movie is so engaging that you don't mind. Watching Mike get back at the bullies picking on his teen children is satisfying, and his efforts to extricate himself from sticky situations are humorous.
Anyone who ever thinks about those teen years and wishes there were a way to go back and relive them again will enjoy this movie. There's plenty of action, some tender moments, and enough craziness to keep you thoroughly entertained. It gets my vote, and I'll definitely watch it again.
Save 33% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment