17 Again

While it wasn’t in any way a profound or elegant film, as a bit of light entertainment and fun, it was far better-done than I had been anticipating. I have never hated Zack Efron: I found the first High School Musical silly, highly camp fun that failed to irritate or enervate me, and didn’t watch any of the others. He was a cute, inoffensive kid in it, only slightly annoying because of the smug way the character was written. Here, in his star vehicle, he’s allowed to play to his strengths. He’s clearly genuinely good at basketball, has a body worth showing off yet thankfully put away within the opening minutes, and the section of his audience that wants to see him dance is similarly acknowledged and dismissed in a brisk, neat fashion. That gives way to a sprightly script in which Efron is allowed to demonstrate that he actually can act, isn’t above making himself look awkward, geeky or an object of ridicule, and showcases a talent for comic timing and natural delivery of lines. Well done Efron. Add in a cast of likeable minor characters, some instances of pushing the squeaky-clean image just a little and you get a satisfying film. Not life-changing, but well worth seeing.