This movie, a high school dramedy with a body swap twist, manages to be genuinely touching. The story revolves around a man, Matthew Perry playing someone on the verge of losing his wife, Leslie Mann, who suddenly finds himself transformed into his seventeen-year-old self. The question becomes whether he can figure out how to be a decent husband and father with help from his quirky friend, Thomas Lennon. "17 Again" feels like a charmed production, largely free of flaws. It blends the familiar high school genre with a wish fulfillment scenario. You might notice echoes of films such as "Back to the Future" and "Peggy Sue Got Married," but what sets it apart is that the main character doesn't travel back in time; he remains in his present timeline while appearing as seventeen years old to those around him, despite being thirty-seven internally. Almost everyone is unaware of his true age. Zac Efron, who was just twenty-one when filming took place, skillfully guides the narrative, and Mann delivers a wonderfully appealing performance. Lennon’s role recalls Spence from "The King of Queens." Michelle Trachtenberg appears as the teenage daughter, with Melora Hardin in the part of the attractive principal. What truly stands out is its emotional depth; it effectively portrays both the joys and sorrows inherent in the high school years—all the awkwardness and everything else. It’s a familiar sentiment, but "you'll laugh, you'll cry," and that holds true here. The film has a running time of one hour and forty-two minutes and was filmed in January 2008 in Santa Monica (Hayden High School), Van Nuys, and Los Angeles, California. GRADE: A-

Source on TMDB