17 Again (Burr Steers, 2009)
I laughed 7 times in the first half, then 4 times in the last. This
does push me over the artificially designated 10 laugh threshold for the film, so, technically, I enjoyed the film.
The majority of the laughs come from Thomas Lennon as Ned, and mostly in the first half. As the narrative threads - such that there are - are obligingly tied together, the good will and the laughs dissipated. Zac Efron is fine, and extremely pretty, but filmspottable? Really? Sure there's MILF/cougar jokes, and moral preachiness, but I thought that was par for the course after being groomed by Disney. He doesn't hold my attention, and his comic skills are still in utero. But seriously, what's with the gender politics? Shrews, ice-queens and tramps? And all the purity nonsense? It seemed to stem from somewhere a lot deeper than Mike regretting his own youthful transgressions. I found the whole thing just a little too reactionary and bland by the end. And judging by the bags under Perry's eyes, you just
know that this experience of lost youth will push him towards some sort of painkiller abuse, and so the cycle continues. The fun bits were over, the giddiness of rediscovered youth paled, and the illusion of agency and free will was maintained. Oh, and where was my montage? We had Zac dancing, but no montage! I feel violated.