Believe the Efron hype

Zac Efron does not suck.

If there’s anything to take away from “17 Again,” it’s that. Efron has all the charisma, talent and timing to be a legitimate Hollywood force.

Mike O’Donnell (Efron) had it made in 1989. He was on his way to college to play basketball and dated the prettiest girl in school. But that all changed when his girlfriend Scarlett got pregnant, and Mike left it all behind to take care of his love.

Flash forward to today – Mike (now Matthew Perry) has been served divorce papers by Scarlett (Leslie Mann) and his kids hate him. While feeling sorry for himself, Mike is visited by a kooky janitor and then wakes up as his 17-year-old self.

Obviously, there is absolutely nothing original in this film. Part “Back to the Future,” part “Freaky Friday,” the premise has been done before, the beats are familiar and it is overall formulaic. But it all works here.

The cast gels together so well throughout the film, especially the weird duo of Efron and Thomas Lennon, who play off one another fantastically in every scene where they’re together. As mentioned, Efron makes all the typical awkward scenes with his character’s wife and daughter work great – it’s not hard to believe that a Matthew Perry-looking 40-year-old is in there.

Thankfully, there are no annoying characters or Disney-approved high school sequences, and aside from a few scenes that were crafted just to remind the audience that Efron is one sexy dude, none of the simplicities of “17 Again” are bothersome.

Sure it’s paint-by-numbers plotwise, but this is an enjoyable, light teen comedy with a whole lot of heart. And really, what else can you ask for?