Reviewed by: Thaisha Geiger
CONTRIBUTOR
Moral Rating: | Average |
Moviemaking Quality: |
|
Primary Audience: | Teens Adults |
Genre: | Comedy |
Length: | 1 hr. 42 min. |
Year of Release: | 2009 |
USA Release: |
April 17, 2009 DVD: August 11, 2009 |
Featuring |
Zac Efron (Mike O'Donnell—Teen) Leslie Mann (Scarlett O'Donnell—Adult) Thomas Lennon (Ned Gold) Matthew Perry (Mike O'Donnell—Adult) Tyler Steelman (Ned Gold—Teen) Allison Miller (Scarlett—Teen) Sterling Knight (Alex O'Donnell) Michelle Trachtenberg (Maggie O'Donnell) Jim Gaffigan (Coach Murphy) Adam Gregory (Dom) Hunter Parrish (Stan) Mario Cassem (Samir) Katerina Graham (Jaime) Tiya Sircar (Samantha) Melissa Ordway (Lauren) Melora Hardin (Principal Jane Masterson) Brian Doyle-Murray (Janitor) See all » |
Director |
Burr Steers |
Producer |
Offspring Entertainment Jason Barrett Jennifer Gibgot Adam Shankman |
Distributor |
New Line Cinema, division of Warner Bros. Pictures |
“Back to High School”
Similar movies: “13 Going on 30” (2004), “Little” (2019)
Mike O’Donnell feels like a loser. His wife (Leslie Mann) kicked him out of the house, his kids don’t care for him, and his boss overlooked him for a long overdue promotion. What makes Mike even more miserable? He knows his life could have been so much better if he had gone to college with a basketball scholarship, instead of marrying his pregnant girlfriend.
Now, twenty years later, he’s living with his best friend, Ned, as he goes through the divorce. Returning to the high school of his glory days, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again, which Mike strongly does. That night he falls through a vortex and finds himself seventeen again. Considering the janitor a spirit guide, Mike soon realizes that his transformation is to help his kids who really need him.
While it begins rather weakly, the momentum eventually picks up into a funny, charming movie. Its success rested completely with Zac Efron in his first no-singing lead role. He excellently delivers a convincing performance of a father trapped in a teen’s body. The chemistry between him and Leslie Mann was also a success. Their scenes together were vital since they had to display a connection between the younger Mike and his wife.
While the movie does use some recycled devices, the movie is sweet all on its own. Often times movies with any kind of time travel have the secondary characters suffer from kind of amnesia when they never realize that it’s the same person running into them at different time periods. However, as soon as Scarlett sees the younger version of her husband, she immediately is drawn to him, pinching his face, and wanting to smell him to see if it is indeed Mike.
While offensive content should be expected in secular films, the way it’s portrayed and any redemptive qualities should always be considered before viewing. In “17 Again,” the movie does have its fair amount of offensive; however the majority is shown negatively. While at the same time, saving marriages and even waiting until marriage to have sex are shown positively.
There is a moderate amount of cursing, about 7 of the milder profanities are scattered throughout. The Lord’s name is also profaned occasionally throughout the film. As for the violence, there is some slapping and a lengthy fight between Ned and Mike when Ned doesn’t recognize his friend’s younger self.
There’s some low-cut attire as well as discussions about sex.
At the end of the film, there is a unmarried couple shown in bed together. If parents want to avoid this scene, simply leave as soon as it states “The End.” Mike’s daughter Maggie is always kissing her jerk of a boyfriend. Throughout the entire film, her boyfriend is obviously a sleaze who ultimately dumps her when she says no to sex. This would be an excellent time to discuss with teens of what a relationship should not look like.
My favorite scene in the movie was during the sexual education class. The teacher defies the abstinence policy by passing out condoms saying that seniors are very unlikely to remain abstinent. Mike makes an impassioned speech about waiting until you’re married. After the speech, some students even begin returning the condoms except for, of course, Maggie’s yucky boyfriend.
Mike inadvertently blamed his wife for his current life. He eventually realizes his decisions and his life themselves weren’t that bad; it was just his negative perception. True, he never did go to college. However, he had a beautiful, loving wife, two healthy kids, and a dedicated friend. Whenever something seemingly bad happens perhaps we should change our own perception and view those times as a training ground to become better soldiers for Christ. Whether it’s someone annoying at work or being stuck in a traffic jam, they can become learning experiences on how to righteously deal with annoyance and obstacles. The book of James is an amazing how-to book for Christians. In chapter 1:2-4, he wrote:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete and not lacking anything.”
While the film’s humorously enjoyable, I do not believe it’s suitable for younger children. The film’s perfectly rated, and perhaps only the older ones would truly benefit from the film’s themes of love, marriage, and even regret. I do recommend this film as long as time sometime is taken to discuss the film’s content afterward.
Violence: Mild / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Mild
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Mike O’Donnell is no exception. His world was turned completely around his senior year in high school. Instead of winning that basketball scholarship and receiving a free ride through college for a complete education, Mike instead found himself married to his high school sweetie, Scarlett, and with a baby on the way. For the next twenty years, Mike resents life’s unfairness for having stolen his dreams away until finally his wife has enough and serves him with divorce papers.
Mike now stays with Ned, an old friend and fan of everything science fiction, and wonders where his life went wrong. The job promotion blew right past him, and his kids won’t speak to him, and he’s about to lose the woman that he still loves. How did it all happen? Mike returns to that first choice that seemed to lead him astray. Standing in the halls of his old high school, the one his kids, Maggie and Alex, now attend, Mike encounters a chance meeting with a man who could only be termed a guardian angel or spirit guide. Does he wish for a second chance? Mike’s only answer is yes. Before the day is out, Mike finds himself zapped back to his 17-year-old self, with one proviso. He’s not exactly 17 in the 80s anymore, but 17 in 2009.
Convincing Ned isn’t as difficult as Mike imagined, though the numerous weapons littered about Ned’s house provide an interesting backdrop. Going back to school, this time as Ned Gold’s son, Mike finds himself finally knowing his kids after years of being too self-involved to care about their experiences and choices. But is it too late for him to win back everything he’s lost? And is it even possible to receive a second chance if he’s stuck at the age of 17?
Yes, there is sexual content, but not as much as you’d expect from a teen flick. When teen Mike heads back into the cauldron of high school, he’s suddenly faced with sexuality taught in the classroom, the distribution of condoms by teachers, and the lustful stares of teenage girls taking notice of his trim body. On the positive side, Mike never yields to sexual temptation and he even preaches abstinence while in the classroom, talking of waiting for marriage. The guys merely laugh at him, but the girls actually listen and even return the condoms handed out by the teacher. Mike instructs three teenage girls about how men will never respect them if they don’t respect themselves. Those scenes were amazing because so many teen flicks completely ignore the concept of abstinence.
There is some prevalent sexual innuendo and scatological terms used in high school, even by Mike when arguing with a bully. Adult Mike works for a company much like Viagra and sexual comments are made in the one meeting he attends at the beginning of the film. A man and woman share sexual innuendo in the guise of science fiction and fantasy terminology. They’re seen in bed later in the film, easily avoided if the audience leaves right at the end credits. Teen Mike and Adult Scarlett find themselves attracted to one another, an experience that makes her very uncomfortable. Of course, since this really is her husband in a teenage body, their emotional connection wasn’t as questionable as it could have been, made easier by Scarlett’s continued resistance to him. It is briefly mentioned that a character could be homosexual because he is constantly backing away from female attention, a concern totally unfounded. A teenage boy got his girlfriend pregnant.
Violence is mostly limited to fights in school and male posturing. A battle occurs between Ned and Mike with everything from ancient swords to light sabers before Ned realizes that Mike is, well, actually Mike. A male character is slapped several times within a span of ten minutes. Most of the language is innuendo or very mild profanity, but under stress, Mike does use the Lord’s name in vain once.
17 Again has much to teach its audience and most of it with a delightful sense of humor that had me laughing out loud more than once. Mike’s greatest desire is to protect his family. When he finds that his son is being bullied, Mike steps up to the plate and defends him. Not necessarily in a violent fashion, but simply making sense of why a person is driven to be a bully. He encourages Alex to not be repressed by fears, but to reach for his dreams. Mike’s perspective on sex gives the teenage girls a whole new perspective, for a time, until they’re attracted to him and make a play for him. But Mike refused all of their advances and tried his hardest to help them understand why abstinence is so crucial to healthy romantic relationships. Mike isn’t perfect, but through his experience in being 17 again, he discovers that all he ever really wanted was what he already had. His life might not have been perfect, it might not have been his dream, but he’d been wasting it for so many years. It was time for him to finally become the loving husband and father that he’d been stifling with bitterness and resentment for so long.
For a PG13 flick geared toward teens, I was impressed. I was not, however, impressed with the number of small children in the audience. This movie is definitely not for them and should be avoided by families with young children. Teenagers, on the other hand, should definitely sit up and take notice. Any film that has enough courage to actually preach abstinence, really hits a high mark in my book. All of the little Zac Efron fan girls might see their idol in a different light. The movie would have completely flopped if not for his surprising amount of talent and charm in a role totally devoid of singing. Behind the laughing blue eyes and charming smile of Mike O’Donnell, lurks an important message of self-control and self-respect that our teens should be hearing. The positive far outweighed any negatives in 17 Again.
Violence: Mild / Profanity: Mild / Sex/Nudity: Mild
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4