JIM reviews film “17 AGAIN” – Do-overs can work if handled RIGHT! =

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“17 AGAIN” – Do-overs can work if handled RIGHT! =

Rating: 7 of 10 stars (as seen via a DVD projected at a library)

Who among us hasn’t wished they could DO-OVER things that didn’t work out the way we’d hoped in life. ZAC EFRON is in that position when he (as high school basketball star Mike) is about to appear in the Big Game seeking a scholarship, until his girlfriend Scarlett (ALLISON MILLER) tells him she’s pregnant & disrupts his game & other plans. After that, he (played by MATTHEW PERRY as an adult) keeps failing to complete things properly. A sort of Spirit arrives & gives him the chance to become 17 again. That allows him (as ZAC again) to try to save his marriage to Scarlett (now LESLIE MANN as an adult) & to help his son Alex (well played by STERLING KNIGHT) with high school basketball & to not be bullied by punky Stan (HUNTER PARRISH) who’s also upsetting him by hitting on his high-schooler daughter Maggie (MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG).

That leads to a bunch of “politically (& socially) incorrect” efforts on his part, which results in some good situational humor, very well handled by ZAC (who continues to show himself to be really talented as an actor beyond in singing & dancing). Zac’s best friend Ned is an eccentric nerdish rich guy who loves Star Wars & Lord Of The Rings. As played by THOMAS LENNON, he has the right “moves” in things like hitting on the school principal (MELORA HARDIN), but he would’ve been far more funny if he wasn’t so frequently mush-mouthed (indistinct & unnecessarily ineffective) in delivering his lines. Overall, an enjoyable little comedy that’s “believable” when you wouldn’t expect it to be.