Actors: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg, Matthew Perry
Runtime: 102 min
Budget: $20 million
Year: 2009
Who says you're only young once?
Popular high school senior Mike O'Donnell seemingly has it all. He is the star of his school basketball team, he has a real chance to get a scholarship, he's dating with the most beautiful girl of the school. But right before the championship basketball game, his girlfriend Scarlet Porter says him she is pregnant. In this moment Mike makes a drastic and life altering decision and runs out of the game to be with her giving up his chances of becoming a basketball star. Now 20 years later Mike's life has come to a standstill. Scarlet has separated from him, his job is going nowhere, his children want nothing to do with him. Mike's regretting it all and wishes he could start his life all over again, and by some miraculous way he does.
As we've seen many movies like this before, such as ''Big'', ''13 Going on 30'', and ''Freaky Friday'' for example, you may have a feeling of Deja vu. Of course, the film possesses somewhat predictable storyline, at first glance it even seems to be a film that will primarily attract only teenage girls, but it really has a lot more to offer. Take a look and you'll probably be surprised. It is a genuinely good, enjoyable and moving film.
This movie firstly proves that Efron is not an amateur who just dances and sings a lot. Definitly he is the best performer in the film. He perfectly manages to act a 40-year-old man being a teenager. His Mike has charisma, he's funny and charming. It's obvious all schoolgirs like him, even his own daughter. It would be interesting to see him in a serious grown up dramatic role. He can do it.
It would make sense to do one recast. Matthew Perry isn't fully right for his role as seems slightly misplaced. He has a comedic bent but it isn't used at all in this movie. Besides, there is some mismatch with the appearance. In 17-year-old boy you would hardly recognize our grown Mike.
Talking about Ned Golf, definitly he's the most bright comic character of the movie. Without him it would be hard to call it a comedy. According to the comedy rules, a knight must have an assistat. But he is not an ordinary assistant, he's very clever. He's a computer genious with impressive bank account, a Star Wars' fan with never-ending imagination. The problem is that he has nobody and nothing to spend his money on, thus his house is crammed full of different toys, swords and what not. What else a lonely man needs to be happy? Ned Gold, perfectly perfomed by Thomas Lennon, is brilliant, he's gentle and easy-going receiving almost all audience sympathy.
This movie is not Oscar worthy but it's definitely worth your time spent. We can call it a middle age crisis story. Divorce, frustrated career, failures at work - it often happens with adults between the ages of 30-50. The film states that it's unreasonable to blame your family in all misfortunes. Being young Mike has made the right choice. He needed a miracle to understand it. You always can start from nothing you career but not your life.
Special respect to Burr Steers, he manages to balance the right amount of comedy with drama and turn it into something really worth seeing that will keep you entertained throughout.
