So, your wife of 20 years kicks you out of the house and your two children hate you. You are then forced to move in with your nerdy, Darth Vader loving, Lord-of-the-Rings-obsessed best friend. What’s next? Making a wish to be 17 again so you can relive your glory days as a high school basketball stud, that’s what.

’17 Again’ may not be the most original movie to come out this decade ‘- man decides he should have taken the road less traveled only to realize he was on the right path all along. But it’s all the awkward quirky moments in this movie that make it worth seeing.

Starting out on a sad note, with Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry) getting dumped by wife Scarlett’ (Leslie Mann) for being a depressing and cantankerous grouch, the movie lightens up once Mike magically transforms into his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron). Mike’s nerdy best friend, Ned (Thomas Lennon), is the first to discover his transformation, which doesn’t go smoothly at first, ending in an ax, sword and lightsaber duel. Once Ned comes to terms with the situation, however, he quickly pulls out his books on everything magic and realizes that whatever did this to Mike wants him to fulfill a specific destiny.

Now comes the hard part as Mike goes back to high school and realizes that figuring out what this destiny may be will be more difficult than he thought as he sees his daughter making out with the school bully, and his son the bully’s favorite target.

If you are in the mood for a light-hearted comedy, a couple touching moments and watching Scarlett get hit on by the 17-year-old version of her 40-year-old husband for almost two hours, this movie is for you.

Suggestion: Watch this movie with your girlfriends or any fan of Disney-esque movies. Or, if you are still trying to figure out what to do with your mother for Mother’s Day (May 10, in case you forgot), this movie could be the perfect date for you and your mom.
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Three out of five stars