She's The One

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 23, 1996

DVD Release Date: October 3, 2000

Plot 411: Two brothers face the ups and downs of love in New York City.

Review: Edward Burns is Mickey, a cab driver and the elder of two brothers whose life was turned upside down when his fiancee Heather (Cameron Diaz) cheated on him. Francis (Mike McGlone), Mickey's younger brother, is a successful, though very arrogant, stockbroker and constantly trying to prove his worth to Mickey. Drama unfolds when it's revealed that Francis is cheating on his wife Renee (Jennifer Aniston) and Mickey has married Hope (Maxine Bahns), a girl he picked up in his cab. As the plot developed, I found myself cracking up at the dry humor shared between the brothers and their father, played by John Mahoney. Mahoney constantly refers to his sons as girls in a way only a manly man of a father could do. Their blue-collar upbringing contrasts with Francis' superficial outlook on life. It was so blatant that I was confused for a while as to the time period of the film. I thought it might've been set in the '80s, but all the clothes were definitely from the '90s. I don't ever remember seeing this rom com in theaters and am not sure how successful it was in the box office, but I enjoyed many of the scenes specifically because of the dialogue. The blunt banter between characters made for some hearty laughs in a way that only New Yorkers could do it. All the actors were shockingly young looking. This was an eazy, breezy film to watch with some good laughs and nothing too heavy. Also featured in this film was an extremely young-looking Amanda Peet and Leslie Mann with her sexy-sounding voice.

Watch It: For a not-so-serious rom com starring actors that were up-and-coming at the time.

Skip It: If you really want to see these actors at their peeks. I gotta admit that some of the performances were kind of bad.

17 Again

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: April 17, 2009

DVD Release Date: August 11, 2009

Plot 411: A guy in his 30s regrets a lot of things in his life and is given the opportunity to go back to high school and change things.

Review: On the surface, this is just another remake of 13 Going On 30 or Freaky Friday where a character relives the past. However, surprisingly this movie is a lot more and is better for it. Zac Efron and Matthew Perry play Mike, a guy who gave up his chance at a baskeball scholarship to support his pregnant girlfriend. (There is no way Perry looked like Efron growing up, but I guess we're supposed to overlook that and several other things to make this film work.) Despite believing that it was the right thing to do, Mike still has regrets about the things that could've been. His wife (Leslie Mann/Allison Miller) is on the verge of divorcing him when he magically reverts back to his 17-year-old self and gets a do over. Yes, the transformation is pretty farfetched, but whatever. This is Hollywood. Even though this is a cheesy teen flick, I've gotta admit that it had more substance than most films of this genre. It deals with adult issues despite taking place in a teenaged world. The movie also deals with those weird interactions between the character who goes back in time (Mike) and the real teens of that generation (his children). I think that's a first. And for the very first time, I see what millions of teens and tweens around the world see in Zac Efron - well, besides the pearly whites and crystal clear blue eyes that is. He's really good in this role and is more than just man (boy) candy. I might just go back and watch all those High School Musicals because of it. If he could only get away from the mainstream Disney stuff and try his luck with some real indies, we'd get to see his full potential. Oh well, I digress.

Watch It: To learn of the true beauty that is Zac Efron.

Skip It: If you're so over his sweaty basketball-playing bod.