| Review:
|
On the surface, Mike O’Donnell is a lot like Troy Bolton,
another Zac Efron character. Both play high school Basketball,
and both are torn over two passions in their lives. Unlike
Troy Bolton, however, Mike O’Donnell struggles with issues
much deeper and more resonant than a choice between Basketball
and musical theater; through divine intervention, he faces
a choice between reliving his life and continuing down the
path he has been on for twenty years. ***
Mike is the main character of “17 Again,” a lighthearted
but surprisingly good film that examines life’s issues with
a mixture of humor and warmth. Part of the charm comes from
the naïve and idealistic nature of the story--virtually
nothing that happens is remotely possible, but we’re engaged
just the same, and that’s because most people wish they
had the chance to do something over again. ***
Back in 1989, when Mike was still a seventeen-year-old
high school student, he walked away from a Basketball scholarship
to be with his girlfriend, Scarlett (Allison Miller). Today,
Mike is a thirty-seven-year-old loser (Matthew Perry). He
has emotionally checked out of his marriage. Scarlett (Leslie
Mann) wants a divorce, and his teenage children, Maggie
(Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex (Sterling Knight), want
nothing to do with him. He loses a promotion to an inexperienced
girl no older than twenty-five. ***
He has been kicked out of the house, forcing him to
stay with his nerdy best friend, a rich software designer
named Ned (Thomas Lennon), who Mike protected from bullies
back in high school. Depressed and rejected, Mike is reduced
to wandering the halls of his former high school and staring
into a display case at his old picture. ***
Along comes a pleasant-sounding janitor (Brian Doyle-Murray),
who conveniently disappears whenever anyone else shows up.
If given the chance, he asks Mike, would he want to relive
his seventeenth year and make different decisions? Mike
says he would. Not long after, Mike drives across a bridge
in a freak rainstorm and sees the janitor jump over the
railing. Mike rushes to the edge, sees a bizarre whirlpool
of light at the bottom, and falls in. ***
After returning to Ned’s place the next morning, Mike
is shocked to discover that he has been transformed into
his seventeen-year-old self. Ned, quite familiar with fantasy
archetypes, suggests that Mike has been changed in order
to go on the proverbial hero’s journey. Thinking this means
another chance at a future in Basketball, Mike decides to
pose as Ned’s teenage son and go back to high school. ***
Adopting the alias Marc, he quickly befriends his own
son and mentors him in the ways of Basketball. Alex has
talent, but he suffers from a serious lack of confidence.
This is mostly because of the team captain, a juvenile delinquent
named Stan (Hunter Parish), who bullies Alex just because
he has nothing better to do. Unfortunately, Stan is also
Maggie’s boyfriend, which means that Mike now has to be
her mentor as well as Alex’s. Ultimately, Mike’s relies
on his years of experience as a way to encourage his children,
to inspire them to be more than they are. ***
Things take a complicated turn when he reunites with
Scarlett and falls back in love with her. She, too, has
feelings for him, especially since she can see the resemblance
to her soon-to-be ex-husband. But a relationship is absolutely
out of the question, and both of them know it; not only
would it would be grossly inappropriate, it would also ruin
Mike’s new found sense of purpose. ***
And herein lies the theme of “17 Again”: What if being
transformed into a teenager had nothing to do with pursuing
a Basketball scholarship? What if the journey is just as
much a learning experience as it is an inspiring one? Mike
is essentially getting to know his wife and children for
the first time, and as such, he’s finally beginning to realize
just how great they are. In turn, he’s learning more about
himself and his ability to be a good father figure. But
what good will it do if he’s trapped in the body of a seventeen-year-old?
***
Despite the fact that this movie is basically a good-natured
fable made with the intention of making us laugh, there
are moments when the more mature subtexts rise to the surface
and give the audience more to think about. But make no mistake--this
movie is, above all else, a family-friendly comedy. One
of the most entertaining subplots involves Ned’s attempts
to woo the school Principal (Melora Hardin). You might think
this would be impossible, given his affinity for all things
science fiction and fantasy (he can speak Elfish fluently).
But don’t be so hasty; even the most hardboiled among us
can have surprisingly similar interests. ***
I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of Mike’s youthful
appearance and his years of experience. Example: During
the lunch period, Mike is able to one-up Stan, not by getting
into a fight, but by proposing three different theories
on why bullies behave the way they do, all while doing tricks
with a basketball. And then there’s an interesting scene
in a sex ed class, where Mike preaches to Maggie and everyone
else the importance of abstinence (in all likelihood, this
was not a message the film was trying to send, but rather
an instance of fatherly overprotection). ***
|
