The framing in this reverse-time-travel comedy is rough. The beginning part in the past is lame, & when Perry shows back up it's lame. However, literally everything in between is fun and super funny. Efron is revelatory; anytime he breaks character and starts acting like an adult / parent, he shows a complete control over his character and a ton of future promise for his career. And if you were wondering if it gets "Back-to-the-Future"-esque creepy....don't worry. It totally does. And it totally works.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this movie but I was pleasantly surprised. The main character, a married father (it's been a few weeks, I'm not going to dig up names) finds himself back at the age of 17 in the current day, in school with his own kids, and in a position to help them out with their problems - something he could not do as his adult self. In the process he learns some things about himself and his rocky marriage which are also valuable lessons.What surprised me most though was that this movie wasn't some excuse to show the main character taking advantage of his age to do things most 17-year-olds really shouldn't... there was no excuse for 'coming of age' or teenage lust or anything like that. In fact (I'll skip the details so as to not spoil things) when he has the chance to do something like that he very wisely uses it as an opportunity to push a more intelligent course on the other person involved.It's not a fantastic movie but it is interesting enough that I watched it through - many movies lose me partway. It will leave you feeling good about the characters and happy with the outcome. In all, not a bad movie, and far better in some ways than I expected from a movie in this era.

Released in 2009 and directed by Burr Steers, "17 Again" stars Matthew Perry as a dispirited 37 year-old man about to lose his wife and high school sweetheart. Through a "spirit-guide" (Brian Doyle-Murray) he is miraculously able to become, you guessed it, 17 again. His younger self is played by Zac Efron, who's actually the star of the movie. Leslie Mann plays his soon-to-be former wife while Thomas Lennon appears as his geeky best friend. Sterling Knight & Michelle Trachtenberg are on hand as his kids struggling through the teen years. Melora Hardin plays the attractive principal while Nicole Sullivan has a glorified cameo.This movie is magic from beginning to end, with few missteps. It's both a high school dramedy and a second chance fantasy. There are elements of films like "Back to the Future" (1986) and "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), but the uniqueness here is that the protagonist doesn't go back in time, but rather stays in the current day and appears to his family & friends as 17 years-old, even though he's really 37. With one exception, no one knows who he really is.Efron, who was only 21 during filming, easily carries the film while Mann is one of the most winsome women to walk the Earth. Lennon's amusing character is akin to the Big Bang Theory guys. Best of all, the film has heart, effectively conveying the triumphs and tragedies of the high school experience in all its glory and awkwardness. I know it's clichéd, but "you'll laugh, you'll cry." The movie runs 102 minutes and was shot in Santa Monica (Hayden High School), Van Nuys & Los Angeles, California. The script was written by Jason Filardi.GRADE: A-

17 Again (2009): Dir: Burr Steers / Cast: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg: A dreary reflection on adolescence done time and time again. In fact, George Burns was involved in the very same story in the 1980's only it was called 18 Again. Well, at least Burns was still old enough to get into restricted movies. This movie certainly should be restricted. It should only be shown to inmates as a form of punishment. Matthew Perry plays a frustrated father threatened with divorce due to his inability to proceed past his high school basketball days. Lame story has him fall through a portal and emerge 17 again to learn the obvious that viewers already knew. Where this portal comes from is something the screenwriter never fills us in on. Directed by Burr Steers who does the best he can with the material. Zac Efron goes through the tortured formula as the teen version of Matthew Perry. Speaking of which, the ex Friends star must be proud of this demotion in the acting ranks. Leslie Mann is cardboard as his wife. Thomas Lennon is terrible as his reject science fiction obsessed friend who helps him get enrolled in school. Michelle Trachtenberg plays Perry's daughter and predictable elements follow up. Cheap and virtually bypasses the message to become a vehicle for Efron. Viewers may wish to fall through a portal to before they purchased a ticket. Score: 2 / 10