• Composed by Rolfe Kent
• Silva Screen SILCD1294 / 2009 / 37:17

Making a film about a man who decides he doesn’t like his life and gets to go back and be seventeen and live it again doesn’t seem to be terribly original, but 17 Again – starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry as the younger and older versions of the same character – did excellent business earlier in 2009.Rolfe Kent is no stranger to romantic comedies (he seems to score little else) and his charming score is evidence of why that’s the case, with pleasant themes that no doubt serve the film very well.  Of all film genres, this one seems the least likely to prompt anything particularly creative from a composer, so frankly you almost certainly know whether you’re going to like it or not without hearing a note or having to read these few words here.

Having said that, this isn’t all about pleasant string and guitar themes – there are a few moments where the larger orchestra comes into play, and the Skywalker Symphony has a bit more of an opportunity to show off.  A couple of big, brassy moments are a bit like generic John Debney music, but that’s usually enjoyable, and so is this.  The Thomas Newman interludes are a bit odd, and their origin undisguised, but they are also decent enough as far as those things (now rather common) go.  It won’t win any awards, but this is thoroughly pleasant and enjoyable music which is bound to appeal to fans of uncomplicated, inoffensive orchestral scores.  ***

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