This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Released in 2009 and directed by Burr Steers, "17 Again" stars Matthew Perry as a dispirited 37 year-old man about to lose his wife and high school sweetheart. Through a "spirit-guide" (Brian Doyle-Murray) he is miraculously able to become, you guessed it, 17 again. His younger self is played by Zac Efron, who's actually the star of the movie. Leslie Mann plays his soon-to-be former wife while Thomas Lennon appears as his geeky best friend. Sterling Knight & Michelle Trachtenberg are on hand as his kids struggling through the teen years. Melora Hardin plays the attractive principal while Nicole Sullivan has a glorified cameo.This movie is magic from beginning to end, with few missteps. It's both a high school dramedy and a second chance fantasy. There are elements of films like "Back to the Future" (1986) and "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), but the uniqueness here is that the protagonist doesn't go back in time, but rather stays in the current day and appears to his family & friends as 17 years-old, even though he's really 37. With one exception, no one knows who he really is.Efron, who was only 21 during filming, easily carries the film while Mann is one of the most winsome women to walk the Earth. Lennon's amusing character is akin to the Big Bang Theory guys. Best of all, the film has heart, effectively conveying the triumphs and tragedies of the high school experience in all its glory and awkwardness. I know it's clichéd, but "you'll laugh, you'll cry." The movie runs 102 minutes and was shot in Santa Monica (Hayden High School), Van Nuys & Los Angeles, California. The script was written by Jason Filardi.GRADE: A-

17 Again tells the story of a man named Mike O'Donnell played Matthew Perry who ever since he has graduated from High school his life his been collapsing slowly around him he is about to be divorced from his High School sweetheart Scarlet played by Leslie Mann his kids Maggie and Alex don't want anything to do with him but after one mysterious encounter with a janitor Mike is transported back into his teenage body and is given a 2nd chance at turning his life around reliving his high school life all over again whilst helping along his kids along the tricky path to adulthood that he failed himself . This isn't a particularly original movie the plot is strung together with a load of clichés we've seen in many other romantic comedies and body swap flicks the performances are the best thing about it Matthew Perry isn't really given a chance to shine as the older Mike this is the Zac Efron i was concerned about this role thinking it would be a retread of his performances in those dreadful High school musical comedies but i was surprised Efron was Charming , engaging and very sweet he is not just a pretty boy with a nice haircut who showed off his dramatic chops pretty well especially a very moving court scene where he reads a letter that was written by the older Mike trying to not only rekindle the relationship with the great love of his life but to also tell her the older Mike is trapped inside of him . Overall this is a fun and charming flick that benefits from a charismatic performance by its star Zac Efron who saves the movie from being the excruciating mess which it could've ended up being without his presence in it .

Considering the fact that the premise of this film (old/young body/soul swapping) has pretty much been done to death in varying decades, "17 Again" is surprisingly effective at rendering the concept funny once again in 2009.For a basic plot summary, this film sees an adult Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) dissatisfied with his life and pining for the promise of his high school career once again. Well, thanks to a magical school janitor (one should always watch out for those characters!), he is put back into the body of his former teen self (Zac Efron) for a "do-over". The "catch", however, is that he is still in the present day (2009), not 1989.The plot of this movie alone lends itself to all sorts of personal and social sight gags, and this movie mines them to their fullest. Seeing Mike trying to weave his way through current high school hallways and scenarios is made entertaining by director Burr Steers. It never gets boring, but also never goes "over the top", either.What really makes "17 Again" a fun watch, however, is the quality of the acting. Though Perry is okay in his relatively brief role, Efron is solid as "young Mike" trying to find his place in today's world. So many viewers can't stand Efron because they view him as a "pretty boy", but in this effort he shows he can act a bit, too. Youngsters Sterling Knight & Michelle Trachtenberg shine in their roles as well. Yet, Thomas Lennon (of Reno 911 fame) nearly steals the show as the goofy nerd sidekick, providing some of the funniest moments of the entire experience.Overall, "17 Again" is a charming little film that can be enjoyed by tweens on up. A few of the jokes and physical humor is a bit "risque", but for the most part it is relatively tame (at least compared to other comedies of the same nature).

The movie is very sweet and charming. The subject is deja vu as in Freaky Friday or Back to the future etc but new elements are added so it's not exactly the same. I laughed throughout the movie, watched it with whole family and we all loved it. The main young actor ZAc Efron played well surprinsingly, hopefully for him he'll be offered other interesting roles like this one, it is a pity that Matthew Perry had only a small role, the pretend dad was hilarious, the scene with Mark's kids and wife were predictable but very funny overall. The only thing is that I found the ending was too 'quick'. There was no much explanation, we did not have time to digest the whole right body recovery and it was over. Anyway we had a good time and I would recommend it to anyone.