I know what you’re thinking. Zac Efron?

The “High School Musical” kid trying to break away from his hit role and become a full-fledged actor? No way.

Actually, yeah!

In “17 Again,” Efron proves all he’s cracked up to be, even if he is still stuck in high school.

“17 Again” starts off with the class of 1989. Mike O’Donnell (Zac Efron), the star player on his high school basketball team, is being scouted by a college recruiter at a game.

Mike seems to have a bright future, until he’s given surprising news from his girlfriend.

Instead of going after his dream, he decides to throw it all away to be with her and the baby she is carrying.

Twenty years later, Mike, now played by Matthew Perry, is miserable when his marriage to Scarlet (Lesie Mann) falls apart.

His promotion at work is given to someone else. His two teenage kids want nothing to do with him, and he’s left with nowhere to stay except with his friend, high-school-nerd-turned-billionaire, Ned (Thomas Lennon).

Just when life can’t get worse, Mike gets a second chance when he magically returns to age 17.

One could be forgiven for mistakenly believing that they were watching “High School Musical” when the movie opens on him playing basketball.

It seems that, at least for now, Efron will be shoehorned into roles that have him do at least a little bit of singing, dancing, or playing basketball.

But to his credit, Efron quickly proves he can do more than just play Troy Bolton over and over and over again.

“17 Again” offers an insight into what life would have been like if you were given a second chance.

It provides great comedy as Efron tries to get his wife back (watching a 17-year-old hit on a 37-year-old female is consistently hilarious) and reconnect with his kids.

Although re-living your life is not new, “17 Again” provides a refreshing twist to the theme and lets you leave the theater feeling good about life.