Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

17 Again Blu-ray Movie Review

Been there, seen that. Next!

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 8, 2009

Oh High School Musical, what have you wrought? It was easy enough to avoid your sing-song, 21st century mmm-bop wares -- after all, without a single preteen in the house, I haven't had to endure any of your syrupy, locker-clanging nonsense -- but how can I possibly avoid the dozens of wide-eyed Hollywood hopefuls you've unleashed on the public? Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Vanessa Hudgens and, God help us all, Zac Efron (the most recent mop-haired heartthrob gracing the pages of "CosmoGirl" and "Tiger Beat") have began infiltrating every corner of my quiet little world. Magazines, television shows, iTunes, videostore shelves, theatrical releases... you name it, Efron and his cohorts are, quite literally, everywhere. So imagine my utter dismay when I opened my latest screener package and saw the country's favorite High School Musical refugee straddling the front cover of 17 Again, an exceedingly formulaic comedy handcrafted by studio executives to appeal to tweenyboppers and their ever-skeptical parents.

Thomas Lennon is, hands down, the best reason to watch '17 Again.' Zac Efron? Who's he?

With a basketball scholarship in the bag and a championship game on the line, high school senior Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) receives some startling news: his girlfriend is pregnant. After making an impulsive proposal and walking away from his dreams, the timid father-to-be begins looking forward to a future with the love of his young life. Fast forward twenty years. Mike (Matthew Perry) is a sad-sack divorcee stuck in a dead end job; a moody loser struggling to connect with his teenage kids, Alex (Sterling Knight) and Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), deal with his ex-wife Scarlett (Leslie Mann), and come to terms with his decidedly underwhelming life. But that all changes when a mysterious old man (Brian Doyle-Murray), a heartfelt wish, and a swirling vortex grant Mike a second chance at youth. Discovering he's been transformed into a 17-year-old, Mike enlists the help of his wealthy best bud, Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon), enrolls in high school, befriends his own son, and soon begins to realize his magical experience is meant to help people other than himself.

I almost started to enjoy 17 Again. Almost. With a hilarious supporting cast assembled by the genre gods -- Lennon plays a fanboy turned millionaire, Perry delivers his patented brow-bending schtick, comedian Jim Gaffigan is a sullen basketball coach, The Office's Melora Hardin appears as an icy school principal (that earns Lennon's affections), and Mann is as sharp as ever -- I found myself warming up to the film's charms each and every time a lightsaber battle or declaration of Lord of the Rings love would find its way on screen. Unfortunately, Efron doesn't have the comedic chops or effortless timing of his more experienced castmates. I wouldn't go so far as to say Efron sucks the soul out of the film, but Sterling Knight is a far more effective young actor who steals entire scenes from the High School Musical pretty-boy. It doesn't help that director Burr Steers (who, you have to admit, has one of the best names in the industry) is working from a predictable, overcooked screenplay. With Igby Goes Down, his oft-overlooked but impressive directorial debut, Steers was able to guide nearly every aspect of the production, particularly the balance between the film's tone and performances. But 17 Again paints the witty filmmaker into a very cliché corner; one riddled with dated genre conventions, cheesy plot developments, and all-too-convenient encounters.

There is an audience for 17 Again and, surprisingly, it isn't just limited to twelve-year-old girls. Anyone who can work through Efron's empty stares and three-note performance; anyone who can overlook the film's adherence to the conventions of its scattershot genre; and anyone whose love of Lennon, Gaffigan, and Perry overshadows their distaste for sugar-coated sentimentality will find something within 17 Again's 102 minutes worth watching. I laughed quite a bit, but never fully enjoyed myself. I didn't have an urge to eject the disc, but I found myself glancing at my watch. I smiled more than I thought I would, but started to forget the film the minute it was over. Ultimately, I shrugged more than I grimaced... I suppose that says it all.

17 Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

17 Again arrives on Blu-ray with an attractive, thoroughly proficient 1080p/VC-1 encode that looks substantially better than other genre transfers on the market. The film's palette, while brushed with mild bronze hues, is warm and vibrant, skintones are natural, and black levels are rich and fully-resolved. Likewise, contrast is lively and consistent, granting the image a welcome sense of depth and dimensionality. Detail is striking as well: object definition is crisp, texture clarity is sharp and satisfying, and shadow delineation is revealing. Scenes in Ned's house are gorgeous; treasure troves of obscure comicbooks, movie memorabilia, and random easter eggs fanboys like myself will eat up. Some noticeable edge enhancement hampers the overall presentation a bit, but ringing is the only technical blight that rears its head. Artifacting, banding, source noise, aliasing, and DNR are MIA, and the picture boasts a clean, almost enchanting disposition from start to finish. I have to admit I was pleasantly amazed with the film's remarkable high definition video transfer. Frankly, I was expecting much less.

17 Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I was also pleased with Warner's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. While it runs through all the expected motions any time conversations dominate the soundscape, it offers up plenty of unexpected sonic treats. The janitor's fountain of youth roars into existence, Ned's chaotic battle with a newly shrunken Mike is engaging, basketball games are immersive, and a reckless party thumps with LFE prowess. Rear speaker activity draws the soundfield around the listener more often than not, and dialogue is able-bodied and nicely prioritized. Directionality is a tad sporadic -- interior acoustics aren't always consistent, particularly in the halls of Mike's school -- but pans are transparent and dynamics range from decent to involving. If I have any complaint, it's that the film's soundtrack sometimes gets buried beneath the rest of the mix. It's a minor issue to be sure, one that thankfully doesn't overshadow everything the track does right.

17 Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ignore 17 Again's coverart. Despite what the big, blue blurb on the back might suggest, New Line's BD-25 disc doesn't offer much in the way of supplemental content. All of the special features are exclusive to the Blu-ray edition of the film (the DVD version is a barebones release), but the good news ends there. It includes an aimless trivia track that offers inane tidbits about Efron and the production; a bland, twelve-minute EPK called Zac Goes Back; sixteen minutes of decent deleted scenes; a shallow three-minute featurette in which cast and crew reminisce about their high school years; a brief, three-minute collection of outtakes; and a two-minute look at Efron's efforts to learn '80s dance moves. Granted, the majority of the features are presented in high definition -- a nice touch -- but fans will breeze through the entire package in a half an hour.

There are promises of several BD-Live features -- a Zac Efron feature commentary, a Thomas Lennon/Melora Hardin featurette, and some more deleted scenes -- but they're unavailable until 17 Again's official release.

17 Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

17 Again isn't going to win any awards for originality, nor does it announce Zac Efron as the next Brad Pitt, but it's a fairly decent waste of time with some solid supporting performances. While the Blu-ray edition's weak supplemental package leaves a lot to be desired, its video transfer is quite remarkable and its Dolby TrueHD track is strong. Give it a rent if you're a fan of the genre or have a teenage girl in the house. Otherwise, proceed with caution.