Of course, there was 2007's critically acclaimed remake of the musical "Hairspray" which found Efron singing and dancing yet again as a heartthrob. Of course, the role wasn't really challenging Efron's abilities all that much, but nevertheless he was perfectly fine in the film.
When he signed on to play the lead role in 2009's "17 Again" (a re-telling of Tom Hanks' "Big"), people predicted that this was going to be the film that launched Efron into the A-List. However, as charming as some found it, 17 Again opened to tepid reviews, and while its box office receipts are nothing to scoff at, it didn't really do much for his career. Supporting roles in "Me and Orson Wells" and Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" along with leading roles in 2 Nicholas Sparks movies and this year's dreadful "That Awkward Moment" further drove the assumption that Efron wasn't meant to be the leading man everyone had pegged him out to be, and that his 15 minutes of fame were over.
