Every once and a while a movie gets a bad rep strictly do to an actor’s past career. I mean after Batman & Robin did anyone really trust George Clooney? Not really but his career since has been paved in great performances and memorable movies. Zac Efron at this point was only known as the kid from High School Musical. So before this film even came out, the demographic who’d probably laugh the hardest already had turned their back on this film. None of this actually mattered as the film grossed 136 million dollars and only cost 20 million to make.
Most of the movies I pick for Guilty Pleasures tend to have awful rotten tomatoes ratings, 17 Again rests at a 55%, not great but not terrible. The reason I’m defending this one is that as I already said most of the people who would laugh the hardest at this movie have already written it off.
The movie begins in 1989 (you know because they’re playing Bust a Move by Young MC) as Mike O’Donnell prepares for the big basketball game. Mike is the star player and there are some talent scouts in attendance. However when he finds out that his girlfriend Scarlett is pregnant he leaves the game in order to be with her. The movie begins like a typical 80’s comedy ends.
We just two twenty years later. Scarlett is preparing to divorce him and Mike is forced to live with his nerdy best friend Ned Gold. He then loses his job and the respect of his children Maggie and Alex. When he’s life seems at it’s worse a mysterious janitor turns him into his 17 year old self.
Mike takes advantage of this chance to restart his life and attends his kid’s high school under the alias Mark Gold (posing as Ned’s son). Mike befriends his kids in order to be near Scarlett. Maggie begins to fall in love with him which creates some of the strangest potential incest in recent history.
This all seems like cliche’ high school teen flick/fantasy, and for the most part it is. In fact the film should be mediocre at best, but it’s not and it’s not because of one man, Thomas Lennon. The former member of The State plays Ned Gold, Mike O’Donnell rich but nerdy best friend.
Thomas Lennon Sleeps in Style
His character is everything that we wish to be as nerds. A Landspeeder bed, every video game system and well… loaded. Any second he’s on film is absolutely hilarious and thankfully they packed the film with him. Unlike a show like Big Bang Theory there’s never a point where he feels like a mocking of geekdom, his character is smart and successful (though slightly socially awkward).
If you’ve been avoiding this movie assuming it’s High School Musical 4 then you’re wrong and need to give this movie a chance.
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When he’s not watching Zac Efron movies Matt Kelly is writing in his blog Pure Mattitude, Tweeting and hosting his podcast The Saint Mort Show.