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Although I have not watched any of the High School Musical movies I am very much aware of the fame Zac Efron has gained from acting in them. In 17 Again he is doing more than singing and showing off his good looks.
He plays Mike O'Donnell, a 17-year-old high school senior with a basketball scholarship. When he discovers that his girlfriend, Scarlett, is pregnant, he abandons his athletic future and marries the girl.
Twenty years later, in 2009, Mike who is played now by Matthew Perry, my favourite Friends star, realises that he is regretting some of the decisions he made in the past.
He is in his thirties, hating his job and wishing he could go back to college. He does not have a good relationship with his two teenage children Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight and his wife Scarlett (Leslie Mann) is about to divorce him.
What is making his life more miserable is his nerdy friend, Ned (Thomas Lennon) who has become an inventor and is so rich that he doesn't know what to do with all the money. If only Mike could turn back the clock.
After talking with a mysterious high school janitor, his wish comes true. He is magically transformed back and he is 17 again. He goes back to high school to investigate the lives of his children and to get another basketball scholarship.
This movie has many funny scenes that make you laugh loudly, specially with Ned and the school principal whom he always had a crush on.
There are other romantic and emotional scenes too, which make the film look more sincere.
I think Efron did a good job in his first non-singing, non-dancing movie. A lot of people didn't expect him to succeed but now that I have seen 17 Again, I know that they were wrong.
It is an entertaining movie for both teenagers and adults. It is funny, has deep family values and is romantic. If you want to see something which brings a smile to your face, go and see this movie. l Showing in: Seef II and Saar Cineplex
