13 Going on 30  (2004)

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Gary Winick

Rating: PG-13

Studio: Revolution

Release Date: 04.23.04

Review Posted: 04.23.04

Spoilers: None

Jennifer Garner Breaks Out

By Sara M. Fetters

In the late 80’s there were a spate of body-switching movies that varied from the horrendous; the Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron disaster “Like Father, Like Son;” to the subtly sweet; the Judge Reinhold charmer “Vice/Versa.” This trend culminated with 1988’s “Big,” which not only garnered the versatile Tom Hanks his first Oscar nomination, but also launched the actor into the superstar stratosphere in which he now so comfortably resides.

And why not? His performance in Penny Marshall’s now-classic comedy is one for the ages, showing tenderness, depth and a winsome maturity the former “Bosom Buddies” headliner had not shown until then. Sure, he’d had a hit with “Splash,” but his other comedic forays; the loathsome “Bachelor Party” and the anemic “The Man with One Red Shoe;” were washouts, and for all the former’s joyous hilarity it was still nothing more that a pleasingly innocuous throwaway. But with “Big” Hanks made the transition from pratfalling comedian to full-fledged leading man, displaying just the sort of talent and charm that would win the actor back-to-back Academy Awards in the 1990’s.

The reason I bring all this up is because it is clear “Alias” actress Jennifer Garner might just be making the same sort of, “hey world – look at me,” announcement Hanks did 16-years a go with her time-bending comedy “13 Going on 30.” Much like “Big,” this is the story of a young person who longs to have the imagined freedom maturity brings. Of course, our young protagonist finds that being an adult – while with its share of kicks – isn’t all it is cracked up to be, the responsibility of adult choices much more complex and sometimes tearfully heartbreaking than any child could imagine. It’s a breakout role, and Garner is makes the effervescent most out of it.

Unfortunately, what it doesn’t have is a witty and intelligent script. Whereas “Big” had a screenplay written by Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit”) and Anne Spielberg, “13 Going on 30” has to deal with the limited talents of Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa. This is the writing team responsible for inflicting “What Women Want” and over 25 episodes of “The King of Queens” on an unsuspecting public, both projects only remotely memorable because of their talented casts’ ability to turn something almost golden out of a pile of malodorant manure. Their screenplay here is strictly of the sitcom variety; every loophole has a stopgap, every problem is solved without effort, every cloud glows with a silver lining; and nothing happens that isn’t apparent right from the first frame.

Yet Garner shines, and with a deft supporting cast of comedically talented character actors and assured direction by director Gary Winick (“The Tic Code”), “13 Going on 30” comes up pretty much a winner. The very versatile Mark Ruffalo (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) has his sexiest and most charming role to date, igniting the screen as Garner’s former childhood photographer friend thunderstruck to find his first crush suddenly back in his life claiming to be a 13-year-old girl. Almost as good is Judy Greer (Adaptation”), conniving and sashaying her way through the film playing a backstabbing best friend out to do the formerly teenage titan harm.

Best of all, “The Lord of the Rings” star Andy Serkis (“Topsy Turvy”) having a grand time playing the most frazzled magazine editor-in-chief that I’ve seen in ages. Equal parts Buster Keaton, Rowan Atkinson and Cary Grant, the man who will be forever Gollum almost steals the picture, especially during a particularly bizarre dance number set to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” It’s a ludicrous moment, so much so it made me cringe, but Garner and Serkis throw themselves into the sequence so completely I couldn’t help but be won over, doubling over in giggles the same as the rest of the audience.

Needless to say,  “13 Going on 30” only succeeds like it does because of Garner. While she’s shown charm and sass on her television show and in films like “Daredevil” (which was otherwise a disaster) and “Catch Me If You Can” (which just grows on me every time I watch it), this comedic tour-de-force was still unexpected. She’s so good in the role, so completely believable as a 13-year-old girl trying to make sense of a 30-year-old life, I was willing to follow the film no matter how obvious and asinine the writing got solely on the strength of her performance. Whether serenading a group of captivated youngsters with a Pat Benatar classic or wowing a boardroom full of bureaucratic pencil-pushers with a heartfelt presentation, Garner does no wrong. In fact, even when the script runs completely out of gas – and off the rails – during the third act, somehow the actress manages to hold it all together and kept me at least somewhat curious as to what she was going to do next.

But the script is a disaster, and director Winick knows it, trying his best to masquerade that fact with cheerful music and MTV-like montages. While those tracts can’t help but fail – in what movie have they ever succeeded? – his conceit of focusing attention squarely upon the actors does not. He and cinematographer Don Burgess (“The Bourne Identity”) manage to photograph their cast in such intimate detail that there are times the movie almost has the interior familiarity of a Woody Allen film, not a broad fairy tale-like romantic comedy. Winick is a pro at showcasing actors, allowing them freedom to make the material their own; a fact proven abundantly clear by his low budget marvel “Tadpole;” and this is exactly what he does here. This saves the film from unmitigated disaster, he and his cast, especially Garner, working in tandem to make one of the most delightfully fluffy features to come along this year.

While it isn’t “Big,” “13 Going On 30” is still a gloriously silly calling card for an actress on the rise. Whether Garner can carve out a career for herself as wide ranging and multifaceted as Hanks remains to be seen, but as for part one of doing just so, to say she succeeds is more than wishful thinking, it’s a blissfully mesmerizing fact.

Sara's Film Rating: êêê  (out of 4)

Garner Good Lead in Flawed Comedy "13 Going on 30"

By Rachel Sexton

In 1988’s Big, a boy wishes to grow up and a magical machine grants that wish. He wakes up as Tom Hanks and breathes fresh life into a toy company before realizing that being an adult isn’t all that he thought. Given the success of the film, it’s surprising that a female version hasn’t been produced until now. With some plot variations and imperfections, 13 Going On 30 is that version.

Jennifer Garner stars as Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who on her birthday wishes to grow up, and thanks to wishing dust, she wakes up to find that her wish has come true. She adjusts to her newfound surroundings and adult responsibilities, including a career as a magazine editor. She also has a hockey-player boyfriend and a best friend, but she also slowly learns about the kind of person she has become. Her old friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo) helps her reluctantly, though they are estranged and he proves himself to be the love of her life.

There are some very funny and touching moments here, but after the end credits rolled I had some questions, which isn’t a good thing. The ending particularly goes by quickly and makes you wonder about a couple of things. The faults of some plot points do not concern the central storyline, but instead some smaller points. The details of how the “wish” worked are somewhat sketchy, and it also felt just a little trite to trot out the “careful what you wish for” theme. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if a person got all they wanted and it turned out to be what was best for them? The poignancy of adult versus youthful attitude, especially in the final scene, comes across clearly, however. The touches that emphasize Jenna’s youth also work well.

The production values here revel in 80s influences that border on the excessive. Plenty of 80s music floods the soundtrack, and Jenna even uses the lyrics to Pat Benetar’s “Love is a Battlefield” as a mantra. One great moment features the dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Plus, try to keep a straight face at Jenna’s boyfriend’s striptease to “Ice, Ice, Baby.” The costumes are good and the locations are fine. Director Gary Winick best shows talent in small touches like the dissolves from the shining wishing dust to sequins on 30-year-old Jenna’s clothing, and the fact that the blindfold she wears while wishing is the same pattern as the eye mask she wakes up in as an adult.

Jennifer Garner has proved her dramatic talents on the television series Alias and her comedic skills get a good workout in this film. She is successful, especially with the 13-year-old mannerisms she’s given. Ruffalo appeals too, but their chemistry is only adequate. Also check out Andy Serkis as Jenna’s boss. Believe it or not, people, he was Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Watch him do the Moonwalk!

13 Going On 30’s performers are overshadowed by the script’s flaws, though less than two hours could be spent in worse ways. Genuine comedy and a little poignancy ensure that. This film is fun but ultimately forgettable, and I have to say that Big covered the youth versus adult territory with much more skill.

Rachel's Film Rating: êêê1/2  (out of 5)

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