Not Singing the Same School Song

By: Jenaya Wentz

November 30, 2015
Imagine being trapped in a theatre having to watch High School
Musical on repeat for weeks on end. Not fun? Try being Zac
Efron, because of those movies he has been tagged as the
singing/dancing heartthrob for tweens and teens all over the
world. The problem? He, just like you, is ready to move on from
the HSM days and be taken seriously as an actor. 17 Again may
be a movie set in high school, but Zacs character is nothing like
the Troy Bolton you love to hate.
Through this movie, Zac Efron plays the young version of Mike
ODonnel and is prepared to show audiences everywhere that he
can act more mature than he actually is, as well as entertain a
more mature audience than his past hits have been centered on.
17 Again starts like no other time travel movie. Mike ODonnel
is suddenly having a mid-life crisis and looking back at the times when he seemed to have it all, captain
of the team, the hottest girl in school, and the respect of all his peers. When he hits the low point in his
adult-life, everything seems to be going wrong for Mike: his wife wants a divorce, he lost his job and hes
living with his nerdy, millionaire friend, Ned. One day, when Mike goes to pick up his kids from high
school, he meets a random janitor who seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The janitor gives the
impression that he recognizes Mike from the old basketball picture in the trophy case. He is able to
reminisce with Mike and get him to wish that he could go back to the way things were when he was in
High School. Boom. From that point on, Mikes life isnt the same, but he doesnt quite know it yet.
Nothing changes until later that day when Mike is driving home from arguing with his soon to be ex-wife.
He just happens to see that same janitor from earlier in the day on the edge of the bridge in the middle of
a storm. In an attempt to save the janitor, Mike falls over the edge and lands into the water. When he
wakes up he is suddenly 17 (again) and struggling to wash off all the mud and water from a suit that
seems to be three sizes too big. It isnt until he looks in the mirror and screams that he finally realizes
what has happened. Meanwhile, thinking there is an intruder, Ned comes running in and chases Mike
around the house with various pointy objects. After an epic battle, Ned realizes he is looking at a face he
hasnt seen for twenty years. In an attempt to figure out his spirit path and why he was put back into his
17 year-old body, Mike decides to head back to high school and have Ned pose as his father. While at

school he befriends his own son and daughter and looks out for them whether it be for bullies, selfish
boyfriends, or trying out for the basketball team. He becomes especially close to his son and learns more
about his kids than he ever imagined possible. Realizing he failed as a father, he uses his younger body to
be the paternal guidance they never received from him.
Its a stretch playing a 37 year old man stuck in a 17 year olds body when you are only 21, but Zac Efron
does it well. From the days of HSM, he has grown as an actor. In an interview done by Rebecca Murray
for About Entertainment, Zac states that 17 Again was, a chance to switch it up. It does take place in
high school, in a high school setting, but its not a very high school character and thats what I want to do
more of (pg. 1). Although the setting was similar to his past work, Efron is able to move past the random
bursts of song and show his potential in an attempt to be taken more seriously as an actor. Since his HSM
days, Efron has actually starred in several other movies with an older audience in mind. In the film The
Lucky One, based off of the Nicholas Sparks novel, Efron plays a young man who just got back from
serving his third tour in Iraq. Upon his return, he struggles with the pain from the friends he lost overseas
and trying to adapt back to life in the states, not to mention, he has to try to fit back into his own family.
Efron successfully portrays this role, one he has little to no experience actually being a part of. It displays
the wide range of emotions and talent he has as an actor. In addition, his most recent role was as an
aspiring DJ in We Are Your Friends, an R- rated film set for a twenty something audience. This movie is
jammed pack with high maturity issues. Throughout the entire movie, Zacs character is struggling to
make a name for himself, dealing with a friend who deals drugs for a living, getting caught up in a real
estate scandal, and on top of it all, his best friend dies from a drug overdose. These kinds of issues cannot
be taken lightly in any case. Somehow Efrons character powers through and shows the audience he can
embrace all the challenges he faces and come out on top after all that has happened. In Alice CaselsyHayfords interview with Director Max Joseph (Catfish), he explains that in the movie, Zacs character
Cole is trying to make a name for himself by having that one track that propels his career to the next level
(The Interview: Max Joseph). In real life, 17 Again is that one track that Efron played to catch the eye of a
new audience, while maintaining his old one.
In a scene where young Mike is explaining his love for his wife and kids in court before the divorce
processes, the audience gets a chance to see the new side of Efron. How do you explain to your wife that
you are her husband trapped in your younger self? Just ask Zac. When everyone is expecting the middleage Mike ODonnell to charge through the court doors and defend his side of the marriage, in comes the
young, flushed version. With no other way to prove to his wife it really is him, he starts to read a letter
supposedly from her husband. Efron goes on to express how he felt the connection when he first met
Scarlet, played by Leslie Mann (Knocked Up). He shares details such as what book she was reading when

they first met, where they went on their first date, and other details that only they would know. After
stealing the audiences hearts by pouring out his, Mike turns to leave and looks back at his wife with one
last glimmer of hope. Once he leaves, Scarlet grabs the letter that was left behind only to discover that
there was nothing written down, but simply an address on the page.
The ability to grab the audiences attention
with a passion-filled dialogue rather than
having to use a song and dance number
demonstrates the wider range of fans Efron
is working hard to have. Winner of The
Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Roger Ebert
senses, now that hes a little older, Efron
has a Tom Cruiseish charm, (par. 8).
Coming from an esteemed critic like Ebert,
having Tom Cruise potential means a lot. You not only have all the female fans aweing at your chiseled
physique, but you get all the jealous guys who now have to compete with you for their girls attention.
Not to mention, like Cruise, your career has the aptitude to last for generations.
Although the movie may just be an average reminiscent, body switch that has been done in movies
before, Efron helps add that touch of charm this film needed to make it stand out among the others. The
movie 17 Again isnt just a fun comedy for anyone from teens to young adults, but it serves as a stepping
stone that propels Zac Efron away from his song and dance number days of High School Musical. Those
who see this movie, will get the opportunity to watch a young actor recreate a name for himself right
before their eyes.

Works Cited
Murray, Rebecca. The 17 Again Cast Team Up for a Press Conference. movies.about.com. About
Entertainment, 2009. Web. 21 September 2015
Ebert, Roger. 17 Again. Rogerebert.com. 15 April 2009. Web. 22 September 2015
Alvina, Kristine. Turning Back the Sands of Time: A Film Review of 17 Again.
Twentyfourtogo.blogspot.co.uk. Twenty Four to Go, 9 September 2012. Web. 22 September 2015
Rose, Nathan M. 17 Again. Flickdirect.com. Flick Direct, 15 April 2009. Web. 22 September 2015
Casely-Hayford, Alice. The Interview: Max Joseph Hungertv.com. Hunger TV, 26 August 2015. Web..
28 September 2015.