Would You Really Want to Be ‘17 Again?’

By Germain Lussier on August 13th, 2009

When the film “Big” came out in 1988, it made total sense. Little kids all wish they could drive a car, stay up late and just be more adult. So when Tom Hanks wished “I want to be big,” we all got it. We’ve all been kids and understood that desire.

“17 Again,” which was released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, is an unofficial re-imaging of this idea, but in reverse. Thirty-seven year old Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry) is so racked with guilt and regret from the decisions of his past that he goes to his old school and is magically transformed back into a 17 year old, who is now played by Zac Efron.

In his new youthful body, Mike gains a whole new perspective on the wife who left him, on the kids who despise him and the reasons those things happened. He also realizes that the decisions he made when he was 17 the first time weren’t as bad as he originally though.

Thanks in large part to a fun and airy performance by Zac Efron, “17 Again” is totally watchable by someone of almost any age. It has a jovial view on what it’s like to be a teenager in the year 2009 – complete with the fashion, accessories and overt sexuality that seems to be prevalent in American High Schools. It also peppers in enough old references and geeky jokes to make audience members who wouldn’t normally enjoy a Zac Efron movie, not kill themselves.

The question becomes, though, does this movie really make sense? Though adults might dream of the glory days of high school how many of them would actually want to be “17 Again?” Would you really want to deal with the cliquey nature of high school? Go through puberty again? Take the SAT’s again? Decide where to go to college and then take all those classes again? Live with your parents? It really doesn’t sound that attractive.

There are some pluses of course – the ability to eat anything, a body like a Greek god, free room and board – but as awesome as being a kid is – it’s a very confusing and awkward time. Personally, I’m happy to be an adult.

So use “17 Again” as a way to show your kids to truly enjoy their childhood. It’s a fantastic time in their lives, no doubt, and they aren’t going to get a second chance. So make the best of it.

If anything, a film like “17 Again” proves that kids are right to idolize adulthood, as long as they don’t overlook their own childhood.