In the romantic comedy 13 Going On 30, a frustrated 13-year-old girl sprinkles magic dust on herself and suddenly wakes up at the age of 30 in Jennifer Garner's body.
Wowser! What a great way to get through the teen terror years without all the hissy fits, facial acne and boy trouble!
But the trick is that the adult character played by Garner still thinks she's 13 and acts accordingly. So she's all giggly and immature and has forgotten everything that happened to her in the past 17 years, including how she turned into a horrible human being after being such a good kid.
Overall, think the femme version of Tom Hanks in Big. This new movie may sound ridiculous -- as it did before we saw Hanks pull off the stunt so effortlessly -- but Garner's wonderfully whimsical performance makes it work again.
While Gary Winick's movie is obviously aimed at a target audience of young girls and women, everyone who is a kid at heart might like this, despite a contrived ending.
The flick is also fresh and different enough to seem new, even though it is part of a mini-genre of movies about body switching and age jumping. The script by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa is clever and Winick's direction and tone is breezy. It all makes for a charming little movie, even in the scenes of sexual innuendo, which are handled with taste.
Yet the real shocker is Garner. We know her as the butt-kicker playing the martial arts agent on TV's Alias, where she mesmerizes male viewers. We also know her as the sexualized Elektra in the comic book flick Daredevil (and she will soon start shooting an Elektra spin-off).
Stripping away the slick sensuality and walking away from the stylization into funky girlie fashions and hair styles is an interesting choice here, one that Garner does beautifully. Making you believe she is 13 on screen is no mean feat. Especially because she carries the naivete so long.
Garner is also surrounded by talent. Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) is appealing as the unlikely new romantic interest. Judy Greer is delicious as Garner's bitchy best friend and worst enemy in the fictional fashion-lifestyle magazine where they both work.
And British character actor Andy Serkis cleverly distances himself from Gollum, his Lord Of The Rings creation/collaboration, by playing their eccentric gay boss.
Instead of resorting to homophobic cliches, Serkis turns the role into high comedy without any of the attitude Hollywood often dumps on gay support characters.
The movie romp depends on inter-personal relationships, especially Garner-Ruffalo and Garner-Greer, but it is also fun because of several big stunt pieces. Chief among them is the retro-dance routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller.
All creepiness aside because of Jackson's current criminal charges, the movie treats Thriller strictly as nostalgia and the party prance is just priceless. As is the whole movie.
(This film is rated PG)
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