Think twice about ’17 Again’

Nicole Aikens

Film is corny, awkward and just predictable

Maybe you like corny movies. Maybe you like predictable movies. Maybe you even like corny, predictable movies. Even if one of those descriptions applies to you, I highly doubt you’d enjoy this corny, predictable and just plain awkward film. Not even the talented and handsome Zac Efron could save this movie from its imminent doom.

Real Quick:

17 AGAIN

Starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Matthew Perry

Directed by

Burr Steers

Distributed by

New Line Cinema

Rated PG-13

Runtine 102 mins.

Stater rating (out of five): ★★☆☆☆

I suppose whenever a movie is made about a man going back in time to high school in order to fulfill some sort of destiny you can expect it to supply ample amounts of corny, but I didn’t think it could be this bad.

And as for the predictability of the movie, I could have probably reviewed it without even seeing the film. Spoiler alert: Everything works out fine in the end. I think the movie was trying to move in that “feel-good movie of the year” direction and ended up on the “lull-you-to-sleep boring” highway. It definitely leaves something to be desired.

“17 Again” cast the Hollywood B-Team in all the starring roles, with the exception being Zac Efron, who should have all the preteen fangirls coming in full force to their local movie theaters.

A case could be made for Leslie Mann; she plays the same unsatisfied wife/mother she played in “Knocked Up.” Matthew Perry does little in the movie, and that might be a good thing because he seems pretty washed up.

If you do see this movie – although I strongly suggest you don’t waste your money – feel good about the fact that said Hollywood B-Team can keep you laughing.

Thomas Lennon, who plays the older Ned Gold, is the only good part about the movie. The stereotypical geek-turned-rich geek is hilarious, and his “Star Wars”/”Star Trek”/”Lord of the Rings”-obsessed character sheds the only good light onto the entire film.

Some people might be thinking, “Yeah, the movie may be bad, but Zac Efron is hot.” Consider yourself warned: Zac Efron may, in fact, be hot, but the whole plot of the movie just makes him seem awkward and creepy.

Maybe it’s the fact that his character is still trying to play the dad role while in a 17-year-old’s body. Maybe it’s the fact he tries to kiss his unknowing wife and make her fall back in love with shim. The situations that unfold make him feel entirely too creepy, and that severely hinders his hotness.

Since “17 Again” is about being back in high school, I feel obligated to give it a grade. I’ll go with a D+ because at least it was completed and turned in on time.

Contact all reporter Nicole Aikens at [email protected].