Of course “17 Again” starts with a shirtless Zac Efron. And of course he is playing basketball. Much to teenage girls’ dismay, however, Efron is not accompanied by other pubescent basketball players/singers and Kenny Ortega choreography. Instead, Efron finally takes a step out of the halls of East Side High and into the halls of a high school that operates without random spurts of song and dance.

“17 Again” tells the story of 37-year-old Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry) who gets a second chance at being 17 years old (Zac Efron). He returns to high school and attempts to reconnect broken relationships with his children, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex (Sterling Knight), and his wife, Scarlett (Leslie Mann).

While the film doesn’t stray far from the framework of other body-switching flicks like “13 Going on 30” and “Big,” it still offers light-hearted laughs and an overall enjoyable movie experience.

“17 Again” is by no means an original story line. The producers and filmmakers can’t be blamed, though. It’s a recycled plot, but the familiarity of body-swap comedies has kept audiences flocking to theaters since the ’70s. “17 Again” is no cinematic sin.

If anything, the biggest shortcoming in “17 Again” is the choice made to place seasoned actors in lackluster roles.

Mad TV veteran Nicole Sullivan is an example of wasted talent as Scarlet’s busybody maid of honor, agent something-or-other. Sullivan’s scenes in “17 Again” do not compare to the hysterical laughter she was known for on Mad TV. She works fairly well with the character she is given and has moments of great comedic timing, but the limitations of the screenplay seem to restrain her performance.

Aside from these overlooked actors, the obvious stars of the film shine in each of their roles. Efron plays a believable 17-year-old (after getting three years of practice with Disney) and after a few minutes into the movie, it’s hard to remember Efron as the basketball star Troy Bolton. He may very well have a future on the big screen without Gabriella or any of his East Side buddies there to hold his hand and guide him through with a heartfelt ballad.

His nerdy best friend, Ned (Thomas Lennon) lends a hand to Mike’s adventure back to high school and ends up setting his sights on the principal of Mike’s high school (Melora Hardin). Their side love story lends itself to some hilariously quirky scenes.

Perry is, unfortunately, overshadowed by Efron’s bulk of screen time, but during his scenes as the older Mike, Perry is a natural.

There is an effective balance throughout the film that plays to all varieties of audiences. Efron’s fresh-faced youthfulness still attracts hordes of preteen girls who drag their parents to the theater to get past a PG-13 rating, but there is enough adultness in the movie to keep those dragged-in parents intrigued. Chuckle-worthy sexual innuendos and a bit of situational irony (involving incest) bumps up the comedic age range and makes this an even more compelling flick.

There will always be those who’ll have a hard time looking past the former Troy Bolton, but if those people can swallow their preconceived notions for an hour and 42 minutes, they may leave the movie theater having had a decent comedic movie experience. Throw in some romance and tear-jerking drama, and there’s almost no way to go wrong.

“17 Again” was written by Jason Filardi and directed by Burr Steers.