17 Again is a comedy directed by Burr Steers in 2009 that tells a story about 37-years-old Mike O’ Donnell who turned into himself at the age of 17. The topic of accidental change of bodies is popular in cinematography because they are “ripe with potential” (Berardinelli par. 1). Such films generally highlight the difficulties in relationships between children and parents and the fact that adults tend to lose the passion to live and become mediocre. The key message of 17 Again is that people often make decisions without clear awareness of their wants and do not appreciate the important people strong enough before they are gone. The current paper discusses the film 17 Again and reflects on the previously mentioned core themes. The tipping point for the main character of the movie, Mike, was the pregnancy of his girlfriend. Mike decided to give the career of a basketball player and lost his scholarship to become a father (Steers). This choice to abandon a dream for the sake of raising a child during the following 20 years makes Mike a despondent man whose wife wants to divorce, and her children do not respect him (Steers). To some extent, this film could be called naïve since it is not clear why education and career growth and being a parent are mutually exclusive. In real life, there are numerous examples of women and men that keep on studying despite pregnancy and still managed to achieve the set goals. Brooks writes that the script is filled with “sugared sentiment” (par. 3). Nevertheless, 17 Again proves that it might take even 20 years to understand what would make ones life full of happiness. Mike finally figured out that his dream is not to become a basketball player but to be a decent father and husband, to be support for his children and wife. The second issue being discussed in the film is that people do not appreciate their relatives and friends strong enough until they are gone. Everyone knows from personal experience that it is true. The reason for the divorce in Mikes family lies in the fact that his wife Scarlet feels ignored and forsaken (Dove.org par. 3). Probably, 37-years-old Mike understood that he was doing something wrong. However, he was suppressed with challenges in his career and the feeling of incompetence. Therefore, the protagonist was unable to notice that the nearest and dearest needed his attention. The key ground for criticism of 17 Again is that in real life there is no chance to begin everything one more time. The film is aimed at young adults and strives to explain to them that it is vitally important to pay attention to the affairs, troubles, and emotions of beloved ones. Still, the transformation of the main character into a teenager creates an illusion that all the family issues could be easily fixed. From the watchers point of view, it could be noticed that it would be rather curious to see how Mike would cope with divorce and how would he shorten the distance between him and his children without the mystical transformation. To sum up, the film is simultaneously entertaining and instructive, it makes the audience think about essential aspects of life to which people used not to pay attention. At the same time, 17 Again is slightly superficial and ingenious because it creates an illusion that life could give the second ch