17 Again? I wish (17 Again (DVD))

Member Name: mrbusy62

Product:	17 Again (DVD)
Date:	10/10/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good clean family fun.

Disadvantages: Zac Effron? No, not really.....okay I'm starting to like him

I expected this film to be a typical movie about body swap with the sugary, sweet better tha everyone Zac Effron in the limelight. I also expected it to be a continuation oft he shallow characterisation that we know him for in High School Musical.

I am pleased to report that I was wrong on this. The start of the movie is typical Zac Effron but then he is playing his own age. He's a typical basketball ace who is adored but the other pupils, one especially who reveals through subtly holding her tummy that they have not been doing extra revision in their spare time. It then jumps forward to 'today' and we see Matthew Perry wake up in a bed with space ships. I did think has he dumped his girlfriend with a child and immediately felt a bit guilty when it turns out he is mid divorce with two teenage kids at the school he used to go to.

Cue typical man on self destruct where he returns to his high school and meets a strange janitor who disturbingly reveals that lots of kids come back to revel in their glory years. He see the same man again about to jump if a bridge. It's all very 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Matthew looks over the edge sees his former self and falls in. An hey presto Zac is back!!!!

There is a brilliant figth scen with his best friend where Zac uses all sorts of personal comments such as 'you have an undescended testicle' to convince him that he is Matthew Perry but stuck in a 17 year olds body.

The slap stick continues and then the film takes a surprisingly warm approach to parenting and being a nicer person in general. Zac gets enrolled in his kids school along side his kids and gets his best pal a date with the principal who turns out to be a geek just like him.

You can guess the ending in as much as Matthew Perry comes back into at the end.

The film shows the measures that fathers will go to to ensure their kids safety and happiness. it shows that what parents do is normally for the best of intentions and they they sacrifice evreything for their kids. It also shows how adults can tap in to this by taking time out and just being nice to them with no strings.

Of course for entertainment there is the fact that Zac Effron is trying to woo his 30 something wife and he is after all her son's best friend. In addition there is the many outfits of Zac's friend who has no dress sense but manages to buy Zac a new set of very cool clothes and a fast car.

I'm not saying it's all laugh out loud funny but it was entertaining. Am I converted to Zac Effron? Getting there slowly. I think he acts his way through the film well and commands the attention he badly needs after HSM. There is a cheerleading dance routine that actually was enjoyable with him leading and I found myself wishing I was 17 again. The supporting performers give a lot of ground to work with and he is only outshown by his best friend played byThomas Lennon on a few occasions. It is also nice to see Matthew Perry back in films after his bad patch. And while his part is small he is still good in it.

All in the film is a bit of a twist on the whoel body swap thing and it does hit the standard body swap thing but for a change the subject of the filmis not about having fun all the time, it's more about being a bette person and helping people. And realising that sometimes your chance in life has passed and that your kids need you support more than you need the past.

Summary: Body swap that's not all about me me me.