so, i hit up the movies yesterday with my friends for the first time in a while. and even though there are about 5 other movies that are still on my “to-see” list, i had to check out zac efron in 17 again. i’ve never seen high school musical, but even i like to stare at that gorgeous face.

anyway, the movie came in number 1 at the box office and i’m not surprised. with efron cast as lead, you can’t go wrong in the wake of his disney fame (see: hannah montana). despite my previous notions that he might not be able to act beyond the musical genre (i liked him in hairspray!), i was admittedly wrong. the guy can act.

now i can go on and on about how much of a rip-off the story is, but nowadays not much is original. i mean, most of the best movies out there were books first. but anyway, back to this movie. it started out slow. in fact, i didn’t laugh for a good 15 minutes. i love matthew perry, i do. who doesn’t love chandler?!? but his comedic quips weren’t utilized as they should have been. he had a few clever lines that made me chuckle, but nothing even close to what perry is capable of. for that, i was a little disappointed.

i won’t get too much into the actual story for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but let’s just say it gets a little weird when perry’s character turns into his 17-year-old self (efron). his romantic entanglements border on creepy, but i gotta say the chemistry between leslie mann (who i love despite her semi-annoying voice) and efron was great! were they supposed to have that much chemistry? i don’t know, but it was good. efron actually made me tear up in an emotional scene toward the end. yes, i just admitted that.

michelle trachtenberg didn’t over-impress me. her crying skills could use some work. to be honest, she should stick to bitchy characters. melora hardin in reality bugs the hell out of me, but i think she is a great actress. she didn’t have too much to work with here, but i think she did a decent job. especially considering she was playing opposite thomas lennon. what to say about him…funny, sure. but i definitely cringed more than i laughed at his scenes.

overall, the film was entertaining and had its charm. it’s one of those movies you know will be incredibly predicable, but like watching anyway. by no means should you go see this movie in hopes of discovering a masterpiece. but if you want to maybe change your opinion of efron’s acting skills or just go to get a good laugh, check it out. although lacking originality, it’s a tolerable feel-good comedy.