Robert Urich is Michael Riley, the world's oldest 40-year old man complete with greying hair, wrinkles, creeking bones, and a taste for opera over rock. That's not 40, that's 60, trust me I'm 40!!! He is granted a birthday wish to be young again by "old man" Jack Gilford (the only senior citizen in "Cocoon" who didn't want to be young again--good casting). Michael Riley turns into a silly grinning Keanu Reeves (of the "Bill and Ted" variety as opposed to the silly grinning Keanu Reeves of the "Speed" variety). 17-year-old Michael is able to pop into town, into a rooming house, and into high school, without documentation of his parents "death," school records, or references. He immediately becomes a basketball star, a civics class whiz, art lover, and all around intellectual. We see nothing in either glimpse of his life that would suggest he would be a whiz at anything at any time of his life -- regardless of how many chances he'd have. Michael meets cheerleader Tracy Gordon (Jessica Steen) the image of her mother Laura Gordon at that age. Laura was Michael's high school sweetheart and he still hold a torch for her. Michael dates Tracy to get close to mom Laura, played by Lindsay Wagner. Lindsay Wagner is not a youthful 40 either, but that's okay, like fine wine Lindsay Wagner looks better and better with each year and she still looks hot enough to turn on any man of any age (in fact she even looks better now over ten years later in those car commercials). Michael makes the moves on Laura, but Laura see herself as a mother surrogate only. There's a lot of holes in the plot but it's the holes that cause fantasys to be just that. Without the holes it would be reality. The ending is resolved happily in wholesome style (this is a Disney film after all). The film might have been able to make a better point if 40-year old Laura would have fell in love with the young Michael (and it does touch on those feelings so quickly you'll miss them if you hick-up). Certainly they were meant for each other but the strains of age difference are never explored only labeled taboo. I think Laura would have preferred the studly Reeves over the creeking Urich and Michael never really wants to return to the old body (only whatever is needed to win Laura). Michael also preferred the sexy older mom over the bland airhead of a daughter cheerleader (who wouldn't?). A wrestling over the moral dilemma, town gossip, etc. could have been explored better. It would have been interesting seeing where that relationship could have went.
