17 Again (2009)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Burr Steers

Writer (WGA):

Jason Filardi (written by)

Release Date:

17 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Who says you're only young once?

Plot:

About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

Plot Keywords:

High School | School | Janitor | Big Game | Bridge

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Zac Efron	...	Mike O'Donnell (Teen)
Leslie Mann	...	Scarlett O'Donnell (Adult)
Thomas Lennon	...	Ned Gold
Matthew Perry	...	Mike O'Donnell (Adult)
Tyler Steelman	...	Ned Gold (Teen)
Allison Miller	...	Scarlett (Teen)
Sterling Knight	...	Alex O'Donnell
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Maggie O'Donnell
Adam Gregory	...	Dom
Hunter Parrish	...	Stan
Mario Cassem	...	Samir
Katerina Graham	...	Jaime
Tiya Sircar	...	Samantha
Melissa Ordway	...	Lauren
Melora Hardin	...	Principal Jane Masterson

Also Known As:

Seventeen (USA) (working title)
Seventeen Again (USA) (alternative spelling)
Untitled Zac Efron Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and teen partying.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44550) | Australia:PG | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:6 | France:U | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:L | Norway:7 | Mexico:B | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:o.Al. | New Zealand:PG | South Korea:15 | Taiwan:GP | South Africa:10M | Denmark:A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-7 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Offspring Entertainment

Trivia:

Shipped to theaters under the code name "Rewind".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the party scene were Mike is trying to convince Alex to talk with the girl who Alex likes, Alex's collar flips up and down on the right side as the camera angles switch. Alex's collar would have been flipped up from Mike padding him on the upper back while they walk towards the girl.

Quotes:

Mike O'Donnell: [finds out that Scarlett is re-doing their yard] The divorce isn't final for another two weeks, so you have no right.
Scarlett O'Donnell: Really? I spent the last 18 years of my life listening to you whine about what you could have done without me and I have no right?
Mike O'Donnell: It's just that I put a lot of work in this yard.
Scarlett O'Donnell: Did you? Really? Like the barbecue pit? Yeah, the way I remember that is that you spent about an hour working on it and then you spent the next two days complaining about how " If you had gone to college then you could have had hired someone else to do it."
[...]

Movie Connections:

References A Few Good Men (1992)

Soundtrack:

On My Own

A genuinely good teen film. Something this generation has been lacking...

I've just returned from the cinema after watching this film and I have to say, my friends and I laughed like a bunch of hyenas (probably to the annoyance of anyone behind us) all the way through it. The story of course is nothing original, but you knew that going in, and yes, there are some seemingly ridiculous or stereotypical character setups, again acknowledged beforehand, but the direction and the acting, more than makes up for this. Most of the actors, especially Efron, who proves he's definitely not just a wanna-be pretty boy and actually stores away some talent, play their parts well. Matthew Perry seemed slightly misplaced, even if he was the reason I went to see the film in the first place. Not to mention the director being Burr Steers who directed one of my favourite films. I could kind of tell how in the wrong hands this movie could have been embarrassingly bad, but Steers manages to balance the right amount of comedy with drama and turn it into something really worth seeing. Efron blew me away. I have to say, I didn't see it coming, and I never thought I'd say such a sentence, but this boy can do better than TV Disney movies. I'm kind of glad he has turned down re-make, Footloose, not only because it's a 're-make of footloose'.

On the negative side of things the writing lacked in terms of Mark's relationship with his daughter. The daughter didn't really seem to have a personality, now I'm not totally sure if this is down to Trachtenbergs terrible acting (one of very little who deliver poor performances actually) or poor character development but something was wrong there.

I don't really rate the cinematography, but I don't think it's something to be taken quite seriously in teen films. It's all about the characters and the comedy - but what was up with that image of Zac right before 'Mark' falls into the water? Some interesting choices of music. One of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. Quite moving and Mark is a much more 3 dimensional, well developed character than most PG-13 rated movies you see. I genuinely cared about him, where as, even in Mean Girls, (which is particularly hilarious and legendary as far as contemporary teen films go) I didn't care too much for any of the characters. It's probably because this film went that little bit further than most and took itself seriously, if only for parts of the movie. It makes a big difference.

So, yeah, '17 Again', fairly well written, hilarious, well and sometimes greatly acted and awesome direction for the most part, and a genuinely good, enjoyable and moving film. Take a look and you'll probably be surprised... but don't go in hoping for anything Oscar worthy. I get the impression there is only so much a director can do with a film like '17 Again' and he did it alright.

Trustworthy director and impressive lead, I'd say. Can make all the difference.

p.s. I'd also watch out for that Sterling Knight actor - he plays Marks awkward son. He gave a genuinely good performance also.