Media Type: Major Motion Picture
Date of Release: April 17, 2009
DVD Release: August 11, 2009
Distributor: Newline Cinema
Director: Burr Steers
Actors: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon
Rating: PG-13
Age Level: 11+
Viewer’s Annotation: Mike O’Donnell knows if he only made the right decision when he was 17, than his whole life would be different. What happens when Mike is given the chance to be 17 again?
Summary: At 17 Mike has his whole future to look forward to. He loves his girlfriend, and is the star of the basketball team; a sure scholarship in the works at tonight’s big game. Everything changes when Scarlett, his girlfriend, tells him she’s pregnant. Twenty years later Mike regrets his decision to blow the scholarship ride, and he blames Scarlett for his life. Reliving his former glory days, Mike is met by a strange janitor who mysteriously gives him the chance to re-do his choice; by making him 17 again at the same school where his teenage son and daughter attend.
Evaluation: This is a really good film. Zac Efron walks a thin line between being ridiculous as a teenager, and being perfectly cast as a believable adult. Secondary characters move the story along, and Mike’s best friend is hilarious in his pursuit of the school principal. A heartwarming movie that surprises the audience with it’s’ sincerity and honesty.
Additional Info: A huge hit with rabid HSM fans. Zac is adorable as ever.
Selection: I showed this film at our Teen Movie Night.
