Blu-ray Review: 17 Again

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17 Again
Written by: Jason Filardi
Directed by: Burr Steers
Starring: Zac Efron, Thomas Lennon, Leslie Mann, Michelle Trachtenberg, Nicole Sullivan, Sterling Knight, and Matthew Perry

Blu-ray Specs:
1080P High Definition 16x9 2.4:1
Dolby TrueHD: English 5.1, Dolby Digital English 5.1
English SDH & Spanish Subtitles

Bonus Features: Zac Goes Back: Meet the Movie's Star Zac Efron, Going Back to 17: Castmates Remember Their Own Teen Years, Tell-All Trivia Track: On-Set Gossip, Cast 411 - All While You Watch the Movie, Deleted Scenes, and more
Exclusive to BDLive: Zac's Commentary, Tom Lennon and Melora Hardin - Unfiltered: Two Comedic Improv Nasters Come Together, Zac Attacks: Mike and Ned's Hilarious Battle with Medieval Science-Fiction Weapons

From the Box: If you had the chance, would you do your life over? Thirtysomething Mike O'Donnell would. Then one mysteriously magical moment, Mike gets his chance. He's suddenly back at Hayden High where he's the star of the basketball team, a total hottie and a classmate to his own teenage kids...which gives Nike a chance to go from not-so-good dad to really cool friend. Zac Efron (Hairspray, the High School Musical movies) and Matthew Perry (Friends) aer 17 Again and fabulously funny as the young and older Mike in agood-time time-warp comedy that proves the best year of your life is the one you're living right now.

Before you write off 17 Again as a tween flick not worth your time, you might want to give it a chance. I found it to be a charming, if a little syrupy, family film with a lot of heart and more than a few laughs.

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17 Again surprised me. I wasn't expecting anything much from the film but I really found myself enjoying it. It's funny which I was worried it wouldn't be. I was sure the filmmakers would dumb it down for the tweeners who would flock to the theaters to see it. Sure, there is some of that, but there are plenty of laughs for the older folks too.

Most of this comes from the hilarious Thomas Lennon who throws himself wholly into the nerdy best friend of Perry/Efron's character. His scenes wooing the school principal are outright hysterical.

The rest of the cast is great as well. All giving admirable, albeit safe, performances. Its not really a movie to take risks during so you aren't going to find any amazing performances here. We don't get enough Matthew Perry for my tastes but when he is on screen he is as charming as ever.

Zac Efron though proves he has the chops to carry a film that doesn't have Disney or Musical anywhere in the title. He has a great screen presence whether it's the comedy or even pulling some tears for the more dramatic moments of the film. I really think he has staying power if he plays his cards right.

The film looks great on Blu-ray. The picture is crystal clear with vibrant color and sharp images. The sound is just as perfect. The disc is full of special features including plenty of Zac for those tweeners (and not so tweeners) who are interested.

Fans of older films like 18 Again, Like Father, Like Son, or Vice Versa will appreciate the throwback to those types of films. Anyone who enjoys a good fun movie will get a kick out of 17 Again. There's nothing groundbreaking here but it is a great vehicle for an upcoming star and a provides a fun time to be had by all.

17 Again is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.