With: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg, Matthew Perry
Plot: Loser in life Matthew Perry is transformed into his younger self (Efron) by a magical janitor, so that he can put right the mistakes of his youth, and form a slightly creepy bond with his previously estranged wife and kids, who don't know who he really is.
---
I went in ready to really hate this, due to an intense dislike of High School Musical, and while it's not exactly better than you'd expect, Efron establishes himself as an able comic actor. We've seen this story so many different ways (Big, 13 Going on 30, the Freaky Fridays), that the lack of invention in its mechanics (particularly the magical janitor, perhaps the laziest plot device of the year) becomes more gruelling and noticeable with each new body-swap comedy, so unfortunately this film bears the brunt of all their sins, though it is also one of the sloppiest. Visually, Steers is pretty nippy and the film looks nice and has pretty much flawless pace and timing (if not the content to match), and the romance between Lennon and the school principal as a meeting of successful nerds feels sweet if silly. Otherwise this is just like all those other films but a bit less funny, and crosses an awkward line when Trachtenberg practically sexually assaults Efron, not knowing he's her father. Urgh!
43
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment