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17 AGAINMovie Reviews
Comedy about a family man whose life is thrown into disarray when he finds that he has mysteriously reverted back to the age of 17. Cast:Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Tyler Steelman, Sterling KnightDirector:Burr SteersRelease Date:April 17, 2009DVD Release:August 11, 2009From:New LineRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 42 min.
17 Again played to fair reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...pleasant, harmless PG-13 entertainment, with a plot a little more surprising and acting a little better than I expected." • And Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...a slack do-over fantasy in which Zac Efron, as a basketball star, looks baffled as to why he hasn't been asked to sing and dance." More Reviews Below...
17 Again Positive Reviews (37 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR(cg) "...a slack do-over fantasy in which Zac Efron, as a basketball star, looks baffled as to why he hasn't been asked to sing and dance."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 04/17/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...facile and feel-good, not engaging or insightful.... Efron still seems too pretty and lightweight to be a persuasive leading man capable of carrying a film."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 04/14/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Though not as clever as '13 Going on 30' or 'Freaky Friday,' it's also not as hokey as 'Hannah.' For a swoon-fest aimed at tweens, '17 Again' has a lot going for it."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 04/17/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "The director, Burr Steers, keeps people and things moving fast enough so that you don't have time to worry about the details, like the inanity of the story."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 844 words, 04/17/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pleasant, harmless PG-13 entertainment, with a plot a little more surprising and acting a little better than I expected."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 04/16/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: WEAK "...a halfhearted fantasy that stars Efron in a role cryogenically frozen around the time of C. Thomas Howell's '80s heyday."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 535 words, 04/17/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Let's be honest, fellas: What would you do if you woke up looking like the star of Disney's 'High School Musical'? Probably re-lose your virginity and then some."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 04/17/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "What I can't accept is that the stringy, insipidly earnest teen idol Zac Efron would grow up to be the defensively ironic, twisty-faced Matthew Perry."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 04/13/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...if this is one small step for Zac Efron toward becoming a leading man, it is, for Hollywood movies, one more giant leap into infantilism."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 04/15/09
Dan Kois, Washington Post: FAIR(cg) "...engaging but pedestrian... What's disappointing is that its view of teenagerhood is as straightforward as its leading man (boy)."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 810 words, 04/17/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the cast hit their marks with fine comic timing, and there's undeniable incongruous fun in hearing Efron lecture his daughter or preach the virtues of abstinence."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 562 words, 04/17/09
Chris Garcia, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: WEAK(cg) "That sound, that disturbance in the atmosphere, is a million girls collectively swooning.... sweet little life lessons bop you over the head like a throw pillow."(See all of Chris Garcia's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 04/17/09
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "Efron is a capable leading man who delivers a punch line like a pro.... The kid may not be the next Sean Penn, but he is definitely a movie star."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 436 words, 04/17/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...credit goes to Efron, a teen idol who has girls shrieking in the theater from his first close-up but who is also an actor and proves it over the course of the picture."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 472 words, 04/17/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Thomas Lennon and Melora Hardin provide some comic relief as Mike's nerdy friend and the fetching high school principal on whom he nurses a crush.... mildly diverting."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 04/17/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...loaded with high fructose corn syrup so the girls will like it (and they will) and as meaningful as an afternoon at the mall."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 04/17/09
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a somewhat uneven comedy about a midlife sad sack who gets the chance to be a teen again. Efron carries the movie and proves to be a versatile and funny star."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 04/17/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "The movie manages a few good jokes about inappropriate flirtations, but it never addresses the bigger questions of why the marriage went wrong..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 04/17/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a comically responsible way for Efron to leave his teen roles behind and make his teen audience think about the adult decisions they now face."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 04/17/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "There's never any doubt what the film's lesson will be -- appreciate the good things you have -- but it's so much fun it makes the sentiment worth repeating."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 04/17/09
Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun: WEAK(cg) "If you've seen 'Freaky Friday,' 'Vice Versa' or even 'It's a Wonderful Life,' you've already seen '17 Again.' Except you've seen it done better."(See all of Chris Kaltenbach's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 04/17/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: WEAK(cg) "...if you're looking for the performance that might one day be characterized as Efron's embarrassing breakout role, this is a good bet."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 04/17/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...if this is one small step for Zac Efron toward becoming a leading man, it is, for Hollywood movies, one more giant leap into infantilism."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 04/15/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: POOR(cg) "...a lame-ass rip-off of Tom Hanks' 'Big'.... If you can't figure out what happens, you've never seen a movie. And if you haven't, please, God, don't start with this one."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 187 words, 04/17/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "The director, Burr Steers, keeps people and things moving fast enough so that you don't have time to worry about the details, like the inanity of the story."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 844 words, 04/17/09
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...an energetic but earthbound comic fantasy that borrows a few moves, if little inspiration, from 'Big' and 'It's a Wonderful Life.' "(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 910 words, 04/13/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "The director, Burr Steers, keeps people and things moving fast enough so that you don't have time to worry about the details, like the inanity of the story."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 844 words, 04/17/09
17.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
17 Again's reviews are separated by an average 17.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
17 Again (37 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:17 Again's reviews cover 70.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,205 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 519 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
17 Again Coverage, Volume & Length (37 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 14.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
17 Again's reviews on average broke 14.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is 17 Again's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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