SENIOR YEAR -- An Unnecessarily R-Rated Teen Comedy

Review by Paris Jade

The best explanation for the film Senior Year is an R-rated version of 17 Again featuring Rebel Wilson. However, it's barely R-rated and probably could have been toned down to a PG-13 rating by dropping fewer F-bombs. During her senior year, Stephanie Conway (Rebel Wilson) is on top. She's cheer captain, on her way to prom queen, and one of the most popular girls in school with the top jock on her arm. However, during an accident while cheering, Conway ends up in a coma, having her wake up 20 years later. Now she must navigate her way into this new environment and finish her senior year of high school while trying to bring back her popular status and get her life on track. 
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This is a very cliché film filled with a popularity-driven main character. There's nothing particularly special about this film other than the fact that Wilson is the main protagonist. She should stick to being a supporting character rather than the front lines. However, the supporting cast in this film was greatly appreciated and made Wilson a better performer. The plot itself was nothing different from other films similar to this one. Still, the culture shock that Wilson's character goes through in the movie is appreciated. From 2002 to 2022, she had a lot of catching up to do, and they pulled it off well. The antagonist, her high school enemy, brought great flavor to the mix and made the whole ordeal for the race to prom queen a bit more exciting. ​

Other than those factors, everything else is something you've most definitely seen in some other film where a teen is stuck in an adult's body. The only difference is that it's her own body, and she's just mentally stayed 17 due to her coma. The supporting cast is honestly the best part of this film, they all seem to have great chemistry, and each of them is thoroughly entertaining. Rebel Wilson also seemed to fit in well with the younger cast and played her role just fine. Yet seeing her as the main character is just something people aren't quite used to. Who knows, with future projects, she might prove that she can be better at starring roles than supporting. 

Whoever researched how Gen Z operates positively did it by spending endless hours on social media. You can tell this isn't written by someone who actually knows Gen Z humor and just assumes that this is what it is. So if this film is targeting that audience, it might not be the best choice. This isn't something worth rewatching, but if you are really bored and are looking for a random cliché movie that's R-rated but doesn't need to be, you've come to the right place. If you want to see a good film with an entertaining plot all the way through, maybe save Senior Year for another day. 

Senior Year is available on Netflix now. 

Rating: 2/5