13 Going On 30 | ||||
Gary Winick Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis, Kathy Baker, Christa B. Allen, Sean Marquette, Samuel Ball, Marcia DeBonis, Phil Reeves, Kiersten Warren 2004 |
Many people liked "Big," the funny, sincere fantasy about a boy whose mind gets trapped in the body of a grown man. Therefore, someone had to make "13 Going on 30," a wispy female version of the same story. If this "Big Girl" generates "Big" profits, it'll seem like a master stroke an unoriginal one. "13 Going on 30" is so derivative that it takes the kooky charm and heretofore-hidden comic touch of coltish action heroine Jennifer Garner (TV's "Alias") to give it a hint of freshness. Jenna, a geeky, lovable suburban girl, is facing her 13th birthday. The cool clique at school mocks her. Only pudgy boy-next-door Matt truly cares for her. She's miserable; her birthday wish is to escape the trials of adolescence. Miraculously, years pass overnight, and Jenna is transformed into a sexy 30-year-old editor for a New York-based woman's magazine. Inside, the adult Jenna (Garner) is still an awkward child of the '80s. But Lucy (Judy Greer), Jenna's main tormenter from school, is now a sneaky co-worker, and nice-guy Matt (Mark Ruffalo) is a handsome photographer with a fiancée. Wang Chung! Tween-brained Jenna has mature job-and-love problems to solve. Upside: Garner and clever dialogue. Downside: Obviousness, plot holes, "humorous" use of schlocky '80s hit songs, and a cringe-worthy dance routine to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." | |||
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