18 Again!

Charming comedy about the fate that intervenes in the lives of Jack, a swinging 81 year old bachelor who has everything but youth, and his grandson David, who change souls after a freak accident. Burns is lovely, but it is Schlatter who steals the picture with a witty and youthful version of Burns.

This is the best movie of all the switched personality movies. It's so funny because its true! The funniest part was when that old guy did the dance at the party and all the girls wanted to go out with him. I hope I can do that when I'm 81! This is the best thing Charlie Schlater has done since "Fish Police". I think everyone should go out and see "18 Again!", again!

Some people didn't like this film, but I did. It was one of the four body swap comedies that came out in the same 12 months during 1987-1988. I remember them all very well cause I was 12 and 13 then and I was always going to the movies.

"18 again" was the second best of the four. ("Vice versa" was best due to very convincing and humorous acting from Fred Savage and Judge Rhinehold when they switch. "Like father, like son" was my least favorite due to very unconvincing and stupid annoying acting from Kirk and Dudley when they switch. And "Big" was Tom Hanks as a 13 year old in a 30 year old body acting more like was 6 instead of 13 when he switched and not acting anything like he did when he was actually 13). George Burns was always a good comedian, and I liked him in the "Oh god" movies. Here he switches places with his 18 year old grandson, Charlie Shlatter. The swap comes after Burn's birthday party when he says how he's happy about how he has everything he wants, except youth. Then, Burns and Charlie, in the car together, have an accident.

When he comes to, Charlie in Burn's body, he discovers he's been swapped. He's shocked for a moment, but then he is ecstatic and excited, he has gotten his wish. He goes back to school and things for him change due to Burn's soul now being in Charlie's body. Before, Charlie was always being pushed around by the bullies in his fraternity, and he had no confidence with girls. Now, Burns in Charlie's body, he stands up to those bullies, makes a jerk of a teacher look bad in front of the whole class by outsmarting him and being a wise ass about it. He now, with confidence, improved his track abilities. And he now, with confidence, was able to attract and win the girl he couldn't get when Charlie was Charlie. I also liked the scene when Burns/Charlie throws a roaring 20s style party, but some of that is cause I'm a big fan of movies from Hollywood's golden age. It being an 80s movie though, I am a tad bit curious how a bunch of 80s kids were automatically able to jump into a 20s style party like that, right away knowing all the dance moves and styles from that era. I like how Burns/Charlie's girlfriend dresses and dances just like a flapper (same with all the girls at that party). I also liked how Burns/Charlie mentioned bathtub gin and said "let's roar like the stock market crash is just around the corner". I also liked the scenes of Burns/Charlie and his old friend Red Buttons when he was convincing him what really happened with him and his grandson switching. And I liked their suggestive version of "By the light of the silvery moon" that they had sang many years ago when they were younger.

The one thing that bothered me a bit more in this film is how the other half, Charlie in Burn's body, was basically unconscious through most of the movie, since the souls were swapped, and Burn's body was in a coma from the car crash. But I guess it did give us more time to explore the different experiences Burns was having in Charlie's body. Still a good movie.

18 Again is another one of those 80s role reversals, which for the decade, seemed to always involved young men and their fathers or grandfathers. Here, a young man switches bodies with his grandfather, and both see what it's like to live young and old.

Charlie Schlatter is David Watson, a college kid who's quiet, and far too held back in saying what he wants to say, especially around girls. But all that changes when he switches bodies with his grandfather Jack (George Burns), a charismatic, funny old guy with a whole lot of energy who, in switching bodies with his grandson, gives David a lot of appeal. Suddenly, he does the 180 from quiet to cool. It's your typical story about learning about self-confidence aside from sharing experiences about being that age these days in the same that Vice Versa, Dream a Little Dream, and Like Father Like Son did when they were released.

But this one is much more appealing than those previously mentioned, particularly driven by George Burn's great sense of humor and universal ability to charm, and also with Charlie Schlatter doing a pretty good job trying to act like George Burns would. Schlatter is hardly an annoying or selfish teenager, and neither is Burns, and I think that's what sets this movie apart from the others as well, despite being one of many using that plot. It's well worth the time. Plus, Pauley Shore has a small part as David's cooky friend.

This is a heart warming film. I'm not a typical person to like 80's cinema, though i do like all manners of comedies, though this is great. I've never seen a George Burns film & i really liked it. He obviously passed his comedy talent on to Pauly Shore and it was interesting to see a film in which Pauly was an actor & not a comedien playing an actor. You know what really would have been interesting. If this was made once Pauly had his image established, there could've been a couple of great scenes with Burns trying to understand what he was saying & stuff. This film is great, & you don't have to be a fan of 80's cinema to enjoy it throughly. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Also, some might say that this has played too much on a body switching premise of the late 80's but i think it had a nice angle on it, and i loved this film