A bachelor is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends at his younger brother’s wedding.

You might remember this one from circa 2003, when a post-Gigli Ben Affleck backed away from starring in another romantic comedy. So, yeah, I guess it’s somewhat ironic that Jennifer Garner wound up cast in the project years later, and I have to imagine (without digging up a copy of the script) that her character, the sister of the bride, winds up domesticating the wild McConaughey here. That’s what has to happen according to the genre’s rules, right? But I feel like that is going against what makes McConaughey sexy: we want him untamed, roaming, and only capable of lust. Cross my heart and hope that Mark Waters (who here reunites with one-time mean girl Lacey Chabert!) has a way to keep his star’s desirable qualities intact.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.

Director: Mark Waters
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Emma Stone
Studio: New Line Cinema
Release Date: 1 May 2009 (USA)
Genre: Comedy, Romance

Popular high school senior Mike O’Donnell (Zac Efron) seemingly has it all. He is a star athlete headed straight for a college scholarship when he decides to give it up to settle down with his high school girlfriend Scarlet.

Twenty years later, an adult Mike (played by Matthew Perry) finds his life is not exactly what he expected. He is separated from his wife, Scarlett (Leslie Mann) and living with his best friend Ned Freedman (Thomas Lennon), his career at a pharmaceutical company is at a stand still, and his relationships with his teenage children are nonexistent. After getting passed up for yet another promotion at work, he returns to his high school to reminisce over his basketball awards and the life he could have had. While he is reliving his past, he is approached by a janitor and shares with him how things were so much better when he was 17.

As Mike is driving home from the high school, he sees the mysterious janitor standing on the ledge preparing to jump into the Los Angeles River. Mike rushes out of his car to rescue him, but when he gets there, the janitor has vanished. What Mike doesn’t realize is that he is about to fall into the river and turn into his 17 year old self.

Young Mike (Zac Efron) returns to Ned’s house, where he has the difficult task of convincing Ned that he is in fact Mike. At a loss of what to do, Ned pretends to be Mike’s father and they register Mike back in high school to finish the life he never had the chance to live.

High school presents a lot of new challenges for Mike, such as dressing cool, keeping up with the latest gadgets and making new friends. But nothing compares to being in high school with his own children. He discovers that his daughter, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), is not nearly as innocent as he thought she was and his son, Alex (Sterling Knight), is the brunt of the star athlete’s jokes.

17 Again … read more »

Romantic woes affect an interconnected group of Baltimore singles and marrieds. The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior.

We thought 2008 was all about 80s retro, but this movie looks to kick up the breezy nostalgia of the late 90s — back when most of Into You’s cast was in ascension. The source material here, the best-selling book by former Sex and the City story editor Greg Behrendt, is also responsible for the wayback effect. We wish star/producer Drew Barrymore would have shelled out for more reliable behind-the-camera talent, since the writer-direction trio makes us say yikes. Speaking of Ms. Barrymore, who is directing her first feature with Ellen Page in the lead role, she hooked up with co-star Justin Long during filming (and then they broke up — old news!); elsewhere, Jennifer Aniston was linked to Bradley Cooper for a bit. But no one wanted to even flirt with Ben Affleck. Here’zzzzz the trailer.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief strong language.

Director: Ken Kwapis
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly
Studio: New Line Cinema
Release Date: 6 February 2009 (USA)