[imdb 17 Again]Artistically speaking, there is not much to the 17 Again trailer.  It is simply a straightforward presentation of the plot through a montage of various clips.  Blah, right?

Almost.  However, I find this to be a pretty good trailer, for what it is.  True, it doesn’t elicit the same sort of emotional response Last House on the Left’s trailer did, but 17 Again does exactly what it should.  It presents the basic information, such as cast and plot, but it doesn’t go so far as to reveal the juiciest bits of info, nor does it spoil the ending.

Furthermore, I think the author did an amazing job exhibiting the humor of the film.  The jokes shown in the trailer are tame, but still amusing.  As the viewer, I get the sense of the style of comedy the film is reaching for.  The jokes in the trailer all have the same sort of punch to them, so I don’t feel as though they are dishing out the best material just for the trailer.  Unlike, for example, the films pumped out by the Judd Apatow crowd.  They suffer from flasher syndrome, where the trailer authors go around flashing the film’s funniest bits, leaving the audience with no real payoff in the theaters.

17 Again feels as though there are probably some more humorous gems waiting for the audience to discover on their own.  The jokes in the trailer make me giggle, but only enough that I am sure I can expect funnier bits to come.  I appreciate trailers with reserved comedy tones just as much as I appreciate a trailer that doesn’t give away the ending.  Yet again, what is the point of shelling out hard earned cash to see a film when all of the funny bits were already given to you?  There is no point.  Surfing youtube’s trailers is way cheaper in this economy schlump.  So here’s to hoping 17 Again has a few cards up its sleeve.

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