13 Going On 30

Against friends' dissuasion, I went and caught 13 Going On 30, starring the surprisingly-lovely Jennifer Garner. And I admit too, that I was pretty hyped up about catching it, because I'm often easily entertained by fluffy, light comedies that others perceive as far too predictable. The verdict? I loved it.

Of course I did. But here's the thing; I found myself crying not once but twice — something I didn't expect myself to be doing in such a film. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say that the first time, I was just so glad for her, for her self-discovery. The second time, I was touched but also just so enthralled by the way that Garner and her co-star, Mark Ruffalo, brought us to the ending.

Speaking of self-discovery, for that matter, how often do you see that happening in a comedy? Interestingly, the only direct parallel I can find to this movie is What Women Want, and that was brought to you by the same people who did this film, too. You know the drill: the high-powered worker, got everything in life, good-looking to boot and popular, has some sort of life-altering experience and discovers new stuff about not just the people around him/her, but also basically about him/herself — and fixes it by the end of the 120 minutes.

Sure, it's predictable in that way, but I'd say chalk up another point for Garner, for her portrayal of a kid in an adult's body. Sure, Tom Hanks was cute and believable in Big, but he was nowhere near any sort of understanding of life and the people around him. He just wanted to be little again. Garner's Jenna Rink actually goes and gets off her butt and works at it.

Perhaps my only little niggle about the film is a slight lapse in continuity, which is, how on earth did Jenna Rink get so good at applying her make-up and picking out great outfits a mere day after transformation? She may have read a lot of beauty magazines, but she was distinctly experimenting, still, the day before, having been rather shabby with the make-up, in particular. But the technique with which she was patting and fluffing and sprinkling stuff on her face the day after was just... impressive — too impressive.

Don't go into the film expecting great controversy or even a very intellectual script, of course. Just be appreciative of a few curveballs the film throws your way with regards to still working within its genre, and don't be surprised if you shed a couple of tears yourself.

Article Author: Victoria Ho

Victoria Ho is a writer, photographer and full-time geek. She lives and writes in Singapore.

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