17 Again

I've decided to make movie reviews a regular part of my blog. Due to the economic downturn and my general lack of funds, the reviews will be based solely on the trailer. It's kind of gimmicky, but it's also really cheap to do, so why not? Also, I'm curious to see how my trailer reviews compare to critics who actually see the whole movie. Once official reviews come out, I might post a link to them.

My inaugural review will be on the Zac Efron vehicle, 17 Again. The movie also stars Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, and Michelle Trachtenberg. Here's the trailer:



If the trailer has you saying, "Hey, this looks kind of familiar," that's because it's a grab bag of cliched moments from other movies such as, Big, 13 Going on 30, Mrs. Doubtfire, It's a Wonderful Life, and Freaky Friday. It looks to be another one of those movies where a work-driven dad is too focused on success and ignores his family. It is only when trouble starts brewing at home does he realize he should have done things differently.

The story arc, according to the trailer, goes a litle something like this:
While hitting his emotional rock bottom and crossing a bridge at night, while it's raining (gee, i've never seen that before), Perry tries to save the wily, old janitor's life when it looks like he is going to jump off and commit suicide. Lo and behold, Perry's character falls off the bridge and into a magical time warp. When he gets back home, he finds himself to be 17 years old again. This is just what he needs to reconnect with his kids and relive his life the way it should have been the first time (aka learn important life lessons and explain said lessons in awkward monologues to his family just in time for a heart-warming, completely unearned happy ending). Take this line for the movie, for example: "It's not about me. It's about helping Alex and Maggie."

Matthew Perry seems to be playing his Chandler Bing character from Friends, except this time around he has two teenage kids. Thomas Lennon, of Reno 911! and The State fame, plays Perry's best friend and goofy partner in crime. Leslie Mann, a Judd Apatow movie regular (it helps to be married to the guy) plays Perry's wife. The real star, of course, is High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron. He, again, gets to play the role of a completely neutered, plastic- skinned sex symbol. This time around he gets to tackle a guy and say witty lines like, "What are you wearing? You look like Clay Aiken." I guess the Clay Aiken bit is supposed to be a stab at self-aware, oh, so ironic comedy. It's a small diversion from the obvious fact that the guy just can't seem to get out of his pretty boy rut. Maybe he doesn't want to stretch beyond that comfort zone. Maybe he can't. His next movie is Footloose, afterall.

The only thing more unnatural looking than Efron's face (he would have been great in A.I.), is the movie's screenplay. As said earlier, it looks to be a by the numbers storyline with all the familiar plot points and superficial insights about family life; surly teenagers, a long-suffering wife, a wacky best friend, and a magical janitor. It has all the makings of a typical, feel-good movie, complete with requisite, Efron taking off his shirt moment. I think YouTube commenter, AboutTheMusicxo, said it best when she posted, "TAP THAT ;D." While she was probably referring to Zac Efron, it also aptly describes a movie whose creativity and hope for credibility were tapped out from the beginning.

Grade: C