Mike O’Donnell, a 37-year-old man, finds himself unhappy with his life. His wife is divorcing him, his two teenage kids are indifferent toward him, and his career is stagnant. When he was in high school he was the star basketball player and life was a joy. He longs to go back to those days — and then it happens — he is transformed into his 17-year-old self but still in current times. He decides to go back to high school to revive his glory days, but with his two children being in the same school things get complicated quickly.

The grown-up Mike is played by Mathew Perry, while Zac Efron plays the 17-year-old version. Zac Efron is a brilliant actor. He was cute and talented in the High School Musical series as well as Hairspray. Granted, I remember back to when he was in the television series Summerland, and while he was cute, he wasn’t the standout star he has now become. 17 Again gave him the opportunity to truly show his acting skills and he shines in this role. Being a 23-year-old playing a 37-year-old stuck in a 17-year-old’s body is a tricky role indeed, but he pulls it off spectacularly.

The highlight of the film are the number of speeches that Zac Efron gives within the movie. These events demonstrate that this 17-year-old is actually a 37-year-old with ample life experience. The fun is seeing how his teenage peers react to his profound lectures. As an adult, I love these scenes and the advice given within them. I hope teenagers watching this movie will be affected by these lessons.

It is weird watching the young actor Zac Efron interact with his older female co-star, the soon-to-be ex-wife that Mike is trying to win back, but is stuck being a 17-year-old. It makes for some intentionally awkward scenes, but that is oddly part of the amusement of this storyline. As the viewer knowing the secret that this teenager is actually 37-year-old Mike O’Donnell, you feel like an insider of this bizarre circumstance. It is still weird, though, when you stop and think about it as actors instead of characters.

The movie is rated PG-13 for the language, sexual references, and teen partying. This movie is not intended for young kids. Teenagers to all ranges of adults will find 17 Again to be entertaining, and despite the unusual premise, will find the characters and their emotional challenges to be relatable.

17 Again is a perfect date movie. Teenagers will relate with the challenges of high school life and simply being a teenager, but hopefully they’ll learn something from the adult perspective portrayed in the movie. Adults will find this movie to be an exploration of relationships and perhaps a reminder of why love is so important. The struggle of Mike O’Donnell finding his way back to having joy for his life is one everyone can relate to.