13 Going on 30

I was really thinking about what Valentine’s Day Movie I would review today, and I was going back and forth on the films to review. Then, I decided to review a chick-flick that I actually find myself enjoying, “13 Going on 30,” released in 2004.

“I want to look like THOSE people,” says 13-year-old Jenna Rink, looking at photos of models on the cover of Poise magazine.

“Oh, those aren’t people, honey,” her mother (Kathy Baker) replies. “Those are models.”

Words of wisdom. That’s the start of “13 Going on 30,” a sweet, modest little comedy all about girls and self-esteem that has the beautiful Jennifer Garner as the lead actress.

The film opens in 1987. Jenna (Christa B. Allen) is an average, insecure teenager whose best friend is an obese boy named Matt (Sean Marquette). She wishes her best friends were the Six Chicks (Ashley Benson, Brittany Curran, Brie Larson, Megan Lusk and Julia Roth), the schools team of narcissist girls led by the snobby Lucy aka Tom-Tom (Alexandra Kyle). They have the common deal amongst kids around that age: Jenna does their homework for them, and they really pretend to be friends with her sometimes.

After being completely humiliated by the Six Chicks at her 13^th birthday party, Jenna eagerly wishes to be 30. She desires that so much because a Poise article says “thirty, flirty and thriving.” She wakes up the next morning to find herself 17 years into the future in 2004, where she’s a successful 30-year-old editor (Garner) of Poise magazine and best friends with the once-hated Lucy (Judy Greer). She has no memory of the skipped 17 years, and her friends and co-workers are worried that why Jenna is suddenly acting like a 13-year-old. Somehow, she is transported into her future.

Now being played by Jennifer Garner, obviously, and Garner’s girlish enthusiasm in the role is completely catching. Eric D. Snider described in his review, “She has young features — accompanied by an angular face and square, mannish shoulders, but that’s beside the point — and she bubbles with the zeal of a girl who has suddenly found that all her dreams have come true.”

Jenna finds Matt, now played by Mark Ruffalo, and is shocked to find out they stopped being friends after her 13^th birthday party. On top of that, he’s engaged, which you probably have guessed.

Snider said, “More unsettling realizations await Jenna, but I will only hint at them here.” Everyone probably knows that she must find out “how” everything she wanted came true and what type of person she turned into in the process.

Snider said, “I mention the introspection because it’s wholly unusual for a film based on a fantasy premise to even suggest that a character look within herself, much less for her to be shocked by the results. Most films would let Jenna become princess of the world, give her a mild complication with Matt, let them overcome it, and send them on their merry way. This one, directed by Gary Winick (“Tadpole”), sends us through much more interesting terrain on our way to the happy ending.”

Snider admitted, “I like the scene where Jenna’s magazine is hosting a party, which is turning out to be a dud.” Still stuck in 1987, she gets the DJ (Richard “Swoop” Whitebear) to play Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and gets everyone on the dance floor. Snider credited, “Not only is this one of filmdom’s few spontaneous dance sequences that actually make sense — it’s entirely plausible that a group of 30-somethings would, in fact, know the dance moves from the “Thriller” video — but it has the added humor of underscoring Jenna’s 1987 innocence in a 2004 world.” She doesn’t know, obviously, that Michael Jackson’s songs were just simply campy at the time.

(That part mystifies views when we see Andy Serkis, played Jenna’s boss at Poise, do the moonwalk.)

Snider credited, “Written by “What Women Want’s” Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, with polishing by Niels Mueller (“Tadpole”), the story uses both the kid-in-a-grown-up’s-body premise and the person-from-the-past-thrust-into-the-present premise without overdoing either of them. Jenna’s confusion in the modern world is limited mostly to being frightened by cell phones, and I was grateful not to see a crazy shopping spree once Jenna realized she was an adult now. (We’ve all seen “Big”; we get it.)”

The problem is that it gets dry by the end, and puts in an unneeded subplot where Lucy stabs Jenna in the back. Garner and the silly likable Ruffalo’s on-screen charisma is nice, but that can’t keep the movie going when it starts to fall around that part. With that out of the way, it’s a nice part that the movie puts together nicely for the runtime. Just look at how big Jennifer Garner has gotten as a film actress.

Now, I know this may sound strange, but I actually recommend everyone to watch this movie, especially around the Valentines time. This is actually one of those chick-flicks that couples can watch together and enjoy. I’m not lying, everyone will enjoy this movie when watching it, and it’s really good. Seeing how I’m not really fond of chick-flicks, being a man, but there are good ones for men to watch, and this is one of them. I give this a solid recommendation.

Happy Single Awareness Day to every single person out there. Stay tuned for Friday when I talk about “Beauty Shop.”