Zac Efron is probably the best of his High School Musical counterparts, yet still nothing more than a teen celeb. However, my guilty pleasure Hairspraytold me that Efron wasn’t a terrible actor, he actually contributed something to the film as Link Larkin. 17 Again is not a great movie, though its weak points are not attributed to Efron’s acting, surprisingly enough. Its weaknesses lie in the simple truth that this movie was made for thirteen-year-olds. The plot is nothing new, (think Freaky Friday, Back to the Future, or Big) 30-year-old Mike (Matthew Perry) is stuck in 17-year-old Mike’s (Efron) body. He has the chance to help his two teenage kids and redeem himself to his wife.
As far as teen movies go, it is certainly not the worst. Frankly I could have used a bit more of Matthew Perry. I dug Thomas Lennon’s character and his geekiness. Leslie Mann was also quite good. Obviously I didn’t watch it for the “cinematic experience”, but for the mindless entertainment. Mindless entertainment I got, and although I won’t be rushing to see it again – I enjoyed it in spite of myself. 6/10
*post edit: This movie only gets better with age. It's actually way funny. And the tables have turned, I totally love Zac Efron. Perhaps 22-year-old Lauren is, in fact, LESS mature than 18-year-old Lauren. But it's whatever. 7/10
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