Review by Khai Sim
Zac Efron. Basketball. High school. Guess this combination still comes out with the safest and welcoming results in the film industry. Uh huh, Zac Efron is staring in a high school movie again, this time minus the musical genre.
17 (Seventeen) Again basically tells the story of a former high school basketball star back in 1989 being grumpy and not satisfied for the past few years of his life. Things eventually got worse when his wife wanted a divorce as she couldn’t take his blames anymore, he got kicked out from his own house, his teenage kids couldn’t care less about him and he lost his job. Then, he met this “janitor” which somehow took him back to his 17 year old self.
To watch a middle-aged man stucked in a teenage boy’s body can be somewhat hilarious. Though I still think Zac Efron’s acting wasn’t THAT convincing. Oh well, at least his charms made up for it. However, that’s entirely my own opinion. Having to watch 17 Again actually made me think if I would like to have second chances in life. And I guess the movie itself contains the answer.
The movie doesn’t give the viewers a huge impact, probably be considered as a watch-and-forget kind of movie, as it ain’t no Titanic or Angels and Demons, but still is enjoyable to watch. All in all, I give a 3/5 for 17 Again.
Review by Louis Yap
What would you do if you had the chance to re-live your life when you were 17? When you were captain of the basketball team, had looks to die for but the maturity to do it right. That’s exactly the chance that what Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry from Friends) was given. “Reborn” as Zac Efron, of High School Musical fame, Mike O’Donnell soon realizes that he was turned 17 again not to get a second chance at life, but to help his children out, and at the same time, helping his marriage get back on to the right track.
Zac Efron does well out of his normal Troy Bolton persona, yet I can’t help but feel that the writers had to pen in his basketball skills. The movie also stars Leslie Mann as Scarlett, Mike’s wife, Thomas Lennon as Ned, his best friend and Michelle Trachtenberg as his daughter, Maggie. I thought it had a fairly easy-to-follow storyline, and had some decent comedy written into it. 17 Again is definitely a family-friendly movie that most young teenagers would enjoy.
Read our intern Jaclyn’s review here.
