zac e. is 17 again!

catching a weekend movie has always been a convenient way for me to unwind after topsy-turvy week, and this weekend was no different than the hundreds of weekends that came before. this time, however,i decided to go with the flow and watched 17 Again (i just couldn’t convince myself to watch Friday the 13th, and i had already seen Fast and Furious.)

ok. bottomline, 17 Again is not as bad as i had initially feared it would be. in fact, there were moments when i actually thoroughly enjoyed myself — due largely to the hilarious antics of the support characters, particularly thomas lennon, who plays mike mcdonnell’s (zac efron, who else?) rich, nerdy friend, and melora hardin, who plays his love interest.

this is not to say that zac efron is a total  waste. actually, i was kind of pleasantly surprised at how seemingly easy it was for him to carry this movie. this time, he shows a bit more range — not that i’d seen any of his movies (High School Musical trilogy, Hairspray), except maybe for those vid snippets that clog Youtube. the kid’s definitely got that X factor, which should serve him well in this business if he plays his cards right.

notwitstanding the screaming girls (and they can get pretty loud), the story is snappy and engaging enough — it’s the latest entry in a long list of body swap/time travel movies (Big, Back to the Future, 13 Going 30, etc.) — and zac efron does well enough to hold your interest when he’s onscreen. and there’s even a funny subplot to keep you chuckling like a loon in spite of the film’s predictable inanities.

aside from thomas lennon and melora hardin,17 Again’s support cast also includes matthew perry (as the older mike mcdonnell), leslie mann, and michelle trachtenberg. this film should keep the ‘tweens and teenagers hopping. and for sci-fi/fantasy fans… well, let’s just say, you’ll find something here that you’re going to connect with