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13 GOING ON 30 (2004) (***)

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When I first saw the trailers for this film I groaned with the idea that Hollywood was going to the well again with the "kid in an adult body" flick. However, I was surprised to find this film having as much in common with BIG's premise as it does with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

Jenna Rink (as an adult, Jennifer Garner, TV's ALIAS) is a 13-year-old girl who wants to be popular. Her best friend is a chubby boy who likes photography named Matt Flamhaff (as an adult, Mark Ruffalo, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME). For her birthday party, Jenna invites the popular crowd, lead by Lucy "Tom Tom" Wyman (as an adult, Judy Greer, THE VILLAGE) who really just wants Jenna to do her homework for her. An awkward moment between Jenna, Matt and Lucy leads to Jenna making a wish to be 30, which comes true. She wakes up and her 13-year-old self has been propelled into her 30-year-old life where she is the editor of her favorite fashion magazine and dating a hunky hockey player named Alex Carlson (Samuel Ball, PUMPKIN). Confused, Jenna seeks out Matt and finds out that she has not spoken to him since the infamous birthday party.

Garner does a wonderful job of selling the "kid in an adult body" concept. Her chemistry with Ruffalo (a star waiting to explode onto the scene) is part of the film's charm. But what makes the film intriguing is that the story deals with Jenna seeing the path in life that she is headed in and how it really only leads to sadness. I enjoyed the characters and the story the film had to tell. I also liked the fact that Lucy isn't a total villain, as is the same with Jenna's boyfriend and Matt's fiancée.

It's also smart about Jenna's job as an editor at a fashion magazine. Some romantic comedies put their characters into high-powered positions, but don't seem to know anything about those high-powered positions (i.e. HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS). It was also nice to see Andy Serkis, the actor behind Gollum, in the role as Jenna's editor-in-chief.

With the reflective elements of the story and charming performances, this film gives an unexpected pulse to a high-concept that has been done many times before. It's a surprisingly effective romantic comedy that won me over quickly, which is all the more rewarding because I only had dread going in.

Rick DeMott's picture

Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks