Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

A very shirtless Zac Efron kicks off 17 Again, the latest entry into the "body-swap" genre. In case you thought the teen dream was trying to shake his High School Musical roots, he busts a move (to "Bust a Move") and even plays basketball within the first three minutes of the movie.

He may be too cool for school, but he's not too cool to knock up his high-school sweetheart. So instead of riding through college on a basketball scholarship, he becomes a thirty-something Mike (Matthew Perry). Mike is miserable because he gets passed over for promotions and is constantly dreaming and complaining about what could have been. In fact, he's so whiny that he gets booted out of the house by his high-school sweetheart wife (Leslie Mann) and is treated even worse by his two teen-aged kids (Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight).

While reminiscing about his good old pre-fatherhood days, he comes across a creepy janitor (Brian Doyle Murray), who later sucks Mike into a vortex and out pops his 17-year-old self. As with all body-swap flicks, Mike has one friend, Ned (Thomas Lennon), who shares his secret. He also has all kinds of uncomfortable situations with his family, including trying to make-out with his adult ex-wife, getting hit on by his teenage daughter and befriending his geeky son.

OK -- so they aren't splitting the Hollywood atom with 17 Again. Instead, it's just a vehicle to showcase Efron's star-power outside of Disney's Magic Kingdom. Whether or not you appreciate his charm, the kid's got it -- and he's the entire movie.

Need another opinion? Check out Karen Dahlstrom's review of the theatrical release of 17 Again.

The Picture

Despite its played-out storyline, 17 Again is surprisingly refreshing in the looks department. Zac Efron sure is pretty, and this 2.40:1 transfer is the perfect showcase for his good looks. The fleshtones are right on and there are plenty of bright colors, despite all of the teen angst. Details are plentiful as well, most notably during high school and basketball scenes -- but especially in Ned's house, which is filled with geeky goodies, including swords and light sabers.

The Sound

From "Bust a Move" to the basketball shots, 17 Again has more surround action than your typical goofy comedy. Warner gave this release Dolby's TrueHD treatment, which works well with the aforementioned vortex, the high school halls and party scenes. There's also a pretty heavy soundtrack, but it’s a nice surprise that the soundtrack isn’t the only thing you'll hear on this release.

The Extras

Despite all of the hoopla on the back of the box, 17 Again doesn't have a ton of interesting extras. "Zac Goes Back" is your typical 12-minute making-of featurette. The only point where it does get sort of interesting is about four minutes in, when Zac Efron explains how he went about creating his best Matthew Perry impression. "Going Back to 17" could have been a fun look at all of the actors' high-school experiences. However, it's only three minutes long, and part of that time includes Zac Efron. Wasn't he in high school like four years ago? The same goes for costars Michelle Trachtenberg, Sterling Knight and Hunter Parrish. It's hard to laugh and sympathize without evidence of bad hair and a complexion to match.

The one that got away: How about a short on Brian Doyle Murray? Not only is the brother of Bill a completely underrated character actor, but what the heck was his role supposed to be anyway? A spirit guide? Santa's brother? It might have been fun to hear the cast hypothesize.

Also, we must mention the completely bizarre, bad menu interface. We fired up the disc, left the room, and found ourselves a few chapters into the movie (OK -- we were gone for a bit). However, it was almost impossible to restart the movie, since the menu would only allow us to watch extras or resume the movie 18-missed-minutes in. Also, every time you select one of the extras, you get the same completely weird, not-so-special shot of Zac Efron and Thomas Lennon before the selection starts.

Final Thoughts

We love a good body-swap movie. 17 Again isn't breaking any Hollywood molds, but it is an easy transition for Zac Efron, who obviously needs to move away from the High School Musical franchise. Check your brain at the door and enjoy the Blu-ray.

Product Details

• Actors: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg , Matthew Perry
• Director: Burr Steers
• Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) 
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 2
• Rating: PG-13
• Studio: New Line Cinema
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: August 11, 2009
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• List Price: $35.99
• Extras:
  • Zac Goes Back
  • Going Back to 17
  • "Way Cool" Tell-All Trivia Track
  • Additional Scenes
  • Zac's Dance Flashback
  • Breakin' Character Outtakes
  • BD-Live
  • Digital Copy