13 Going On 30 Movie Review:


Is “13 Going On 30” just a female version of Big? Well, yes and no. In both movies, the protagonists find their young ages inadequate for their desires, wish to be older, and wake up as adults the next morning. There is a major difference, though -- in “Big,” the main character becomes instantly older overnight, literally. When the main character in “13 Going On 30” awakes, she not only finds herself older but also living in the future. She's lived 17 years of her life, but the last thing she remembers is her thirteenth birthday, the day she made the wish.

There's actually another important difference, one less detectable from the surface of the premise. “Big” was primarily a story about learning the value of not growing up too fast. It projected warmth that spoke to the child in each of us, and thus had the bittersweet touch of a gentle fable. “13 Going On 30” isn't quite as daring. It's primarily a romantic comedy. The antics of Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) are constructed to show her the path to true love. The film isn't about growing up as much as it is about finding out Mr. Right was your best friend all along.

If I'm making the movie sound shallow and formulaic, it's mostly true although not entirely fair -- there are edges to the story that give it a little something more, and those can be appreciated. What Jenna finds out is that an early decision to join the "cool" crowd at school ultimately leads her to a life of shallowness. By having the results of the shallowness thrown right before her, as opposed to having her achieve them gradually, she's able to realize them for what they are. I suppose this lesson could be applied to the lives of real people who have gone down regretful paths before realizing how much they've completely changed, but, frankly, the story is handled in too lightweight and silly a fashion for that thought to carry much resonance. Still, it's there, and it's interesting.

However, I found a different bit of "commentary" more interesting. Jenna was a child of the '80s, and she grows up to find herself in 2004. The movie includes many moments where Jenna perpetuates the colors and energy of the '80s, almost as a direct slam of the ambiguous cultural sludge we're living in today. Stuck at a company party where the music plays a dreadfully thudding, generic dance beat, and having observed the guests getting bored and leaving, Jenna insists the DJ play Michael Jackson's "Thriller," to which she leads a rather hilarious dance number. Soon, everyone joins in. Again, it's rather silly, but it has an interesting point, and it's another brick in the house of today's nostalgic mythification of the '80s.

So it's a shame this movie degenerates rather quickly into a cliché romantic comedy climax. Inevitably, the short-lived thrill of being an adult must give way to its unsavoriness, which in this movie ironically comes from high school-level backstabbing, thereby diminishing the depths of any reasons Jenna has for wanting to go back to her old self. By the end, she's primarily motivated by love, and so we get the standard realization-leading-to-mad-dash-before-guy-gets-married scene, and that's where my mind wanders and wonders how many more times this stale device will get used.

What I haven't mentioned up to this point is Jennifer Garner's performance, which may end up being the nudge that convinces people to see the movie. In and of itself, “13 Going On 30” is a poor woman's “Big,” with not much new to chew on, therefore making it a passable distraction. But Garner makes the most of her chance to shine here -- given a star vehicle at last, she does a 180-degree turn from her Alias persona (and, while we're at it, her Elektra character from “Daredevil”) and spins gold from it. Garner is adorable playing a bubblegum 13-year-old; she's cute without overdoing it (and this opinion is coming from someone who didn't really understand her appeal before). Her leading man, Mark Ruffalo, is also charming opposite her, and it's their sweetness that gives this otherwise ho-hum flick any distinction.

Jeffrey Chen

Jennifer Garner seriously turns on the star power in this gimmicky rom-com, which is blessed with sharply written dialog and vivid characters, even when the plot drifts into a swamp of mushy cliches.

On the eve of her 13th birthday, Jenna (Allen) is desperate to be one of the cool girls, virtually ignoring her nerdy-but-actually-cool pal Matt (Marquette). In a moment of despair, she expresses her longing to be 30 ... and presto, she's now a high-powered 30-year-old Manhattan magazine editor (now Garner), with one of those cool girls (Greer) as her best friend. Confused about the sudden change, Jenna looks up Matt (now Ruffalo), who put his crush on Jenna behind him 17 years earlier.

Garner is so good at playing a pre-teen in a mature young woman's body that we actually go along with the plot absurdities without questioning them. The script is jammed with coincidences: Jenna's parents (Baker and Reeves) happen to be away on a cruise, she continually bumps into key people on the streets of New York. But while the story is uninspired, the character development and dialog spark with sophisticated, grown-up humour. It's realistically funny and sexy. And there are several above-average set pieces--a full-on Thriller choreography, a slumber party to the strains of Love Is a Battlefield, a rather sweet montage to Billy Joel's perfectly chosen Vienna.

Meanwhile, the supporting cast keeps up with Garner very nicely indeed. Ruffalo is as charming and guileless as ever; Greer is the epitome of the smiling backstabber; Allen and Marquette are perfect as the younger Garner and Ruffalo; and as Jenna's boss, Serkis is somehow both hilarious and creepy at the same time. All of them toy with their characters wonderfully. And the film's first three-fourths is a delight to watch! Then the plot machinations kick in, undermining the clever set-up with a predictable final act. Less demanding audience members will laugh, cry and sob with joy right on cue. Viewers wanting something more original will quietly gag on their popcorn. But the really amazing thing is that this is good enough to banish all thoughts of Big until after it finishes.

Rich Cline

For Jenna (Allen) growing up just couldn’t come quick enough so when thinks go drastically wrong on her 13th birthday, she makes a wish that she could be 30. The next morning she wakes up in a strange New York apartment, she has an ice hockey star as a boyfriend and she is hottest fashion editor in town. She isn’t little Jenna anymore, she’s thirty year-old Jenna Rink (Garner) New York’s latest success story.

Hating been a kid, wishing you were older and then waking up in the morning to find out that your wish has come true. Sound familiar?

‘13 Going On 30’ is simply ‘Big’ for girls but before you discount it as a way of cashing in on a idea that has been done to death over the years, this movie has one big plus point, Jennifer Garner. An actress who is known primarily for her action/drama roles shows her versatility as she excels in the lead role of Jenna. Garner breezes into the comedic, romantic lead with ease, capturing the innocence of the character superbly as she tries to fit into to the new millennium after literarily just stepping out of the 1980s. She effortlessly portrays the confused fish out of water with so much skill, it is hard to believe that you are watching the same person who plays Alias’s Sydney Bristow with such guile and strength.

Accompanying Jennifer in her comedy exploits is a very good supporting cast. Mark Ruffalo continues to excel be playing Jenna’s childhood best friend Matty, who feel out with her at high school. Matty is the insight into the seventeen years Jenna can’t remember and Ruffalo plays the part very well as the character’s feeling start flooding back. Judy Greer plays Lucy Wyman, Jenna’s high school rival but now best friend. She was a bitch at school and things don’t seem to have changed. Greer plays this character very well, making her instantly dislikeable. Andy Serkis continues to make waves with a good performance as Jenna editor at Poise magazine, Richard Kneeland.

The downside of the movie, aside from the glaringly obvious ‘Big’ comparisons is its complete girliness. This has to be one of the girliest movies you will ever see and it will be one that most people of the male persuasion will struggle to really enjoy, even if he is trying to impress on a first date for example. There are some funny elements, the Thriller dance is great but the ending is so sugary sweet that your teeth will feel like they are falling out of your head.

13 Going On 30 is a fun, sweet movie that every girl will love. This is a showcase for Jennifer Garner however that will put her in the leading lady super league and on this evidence it is a place where she deserves to be.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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