Imagine, Attending High School With Your ‘Own’ Kids

Zac Efron of High School Musical fame stars in this teen comedy which is sure to win over family viewers. It’s a film about second chances in life with Efron carrying the bulk of the film. Similar in theme to Tom Hanks in the film “Big” the film centers on an older person in a younger body. Efron’s ‘star quality’ shines in this one. He’s extremely charming and has a magnetic ‘on-screen presence’ that will woo tween girls. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, harmless and entertaining film. He plays a HS senior (Mike) who appears to have it all; he’s a star athlete with a potential college basketball scholarship, a popular student and he has a beautiful girlfriend. Upon hearing the news that his girlfriend is pregnant he decides to get married and give up his dream of college.

Fast forward 20 yrs. we now see the much older miserable, Mike played by Mathew Perry (from the TV sitcom ‘Friends’) What a change! He’s on the verge of divorce, he’s passed over for a promotion from his job and he’s kids don’t relate to him. He longs to go back to HS and re–live those better times and he magically gets the chance to do so. (Only in Hollywood!)

Mike is .. (you guessed it) ‘17 again’ and in HS alongside his 2 teenage kids no less. Alex his son is played by Sterling Knight, Maggie his daughter is played by Michelle Trachtenberg and Scarlet his wife is played by Leslie Mann. He tries out for the basketball team, watches his daughter date a loser, and tries to protect his son from bullies all in one day of school. In this tale, Mike is given a 2nd chance to help his kids and his wife. He begins to appreciate what is important and discovers life lessons along the way. Basically we have a guy whose life didn’t turn out so great and he’s trying to make sense of the situation and correct the mistakes he has made. The scenes with Mike’s son and daughter in HS are my favorite. (Very touching.)

A notable and hysterical character is Mike’s geeky friend from HS, Ned Gold played by Thomas Lennon. He was the basketball team manager from Mike’s former HS days and now as an adult he’s his highly successful best friend.  Ned’s character is overly wealthy and spends his money on sci- fi paraphernalia and has a house stocked full of really cool stuff. We’re talking Star Wars gadgets, the latest video games and even a bed shaped like a space ship. He’s very funny and has his eye on the single red- headed HS Principal with the same sci-fi interests. Lennon’s performance is an over the top hilarious treat. He plays the part to a tee and provides the perfect side kick for Efron. He pretends to be Mike’s father during the ‘back to HS scenes’ and these are laugh-out-loud!

We are sure to see more of Zac Efron, he carries this movie just fine and provides quality family entertainment.

Sarah Adamson © 2009