New Line Cinema

Certain movies follow a well-proven formula so strictly and diligently that you can practically call every single plot beat long before it happens. In general, this predictability can ruin every viewing experience, yet there are exceptions when it becomes a charm. Sometimes, there's a warm and appealing comfort to gain from watching exhausted tropes.

Burr Steers' 2009 comedy, "17 Again" (now streaming on Netflix), starring Matthew Perry and Zac Efron, is one of those cases. It's virtually a remix of every body-swap rom-com you've ever seen — essentially the male version of Jennifer Garner's beloved "13 Going on 30" in reverse — that leans so hard into all the clichés that they somehow become its virtue.…