Spygirl's Review
April 2004
"13 Going on 30"
SPOILERS!
Ahhh, to be thirteen again or, for that matter, being thirty again would be great! If wishes were horses then beggars would fly, so I'm told. For the purpose of this review, I'm wishing neither, but if the opportunity ever did come about, I'd want to be Jennifer Garner's 'Jenna Rink' just so I could hook up with Mark Ruffalo's 'Matt.'
Starting with It's A Wonderful Life and Big we've seen revisionist 'age,' or some variation of 'if only life were different' films. Some have been good and others not so good. Let's face it, it's not easy to take a recycled story line and make it work, but this is exactly what 13 Going On 30 does. It's so good, it slams the ball out of the park and has the potential to go down in cinematic history as being one of the best, all-around, warm and fuzzy feel-good films ever made. Yeah, I'm that sure.
The premise of this film, which by now shouldn't be a surprise, is about thirteen-year old Jenna, who wants nothing more than to be cool and in with the 'IN' crowd. She's smart and to the adults watching this film, she's absolutely adorable. Nevertheless, when you're thirteen, Jenna appears to be living in hell. She's genuinely sweet, she's caring and her best friend, Matt – a chubby and funny boy who is wise beyond his years - is considered a dork. This sets the conflict stage for Jenna, who wants the best of both worlds: to maintain her friendship with geeky Matt and to actualize her position among the cool kids. It's not going to happen, but Jenna isn't sophisticated enough to understand her place on the food chain. Reluctantly, she sets sail on the ship of selling out one's integrity for a slice of the popularity pie. Of course, this makes her a natural target the new sleaziac friends who choose only to see Jenna as their personal homework compendium.
After a rather nasty trick is played on Jenna during her thirteenth birthday party, she wishes to be thirty. She wants the beauty, wisdom and popular attention that her idols – models on the cover of Poise magazine – seem to receive. And she wants it now. She's tired of being picked on, left out and made the butt of embarrassing jokes from her mean spirited classmates. Ironically, mean spirited, bratty teenagers whose attention and acceptance she still longs to receive. Jenna makes her wish at the same moment magic dust falls upon her head. In the morning, she wakes up with breasts, a curvaceous body, perfect skin, a career as a power editor with Poise Magazine and a fully-grown boyfriend with a luxury package. Problem is Jenna's mind and, more importantly, her memories, are that of her thirteen year old self. Here is where the fun and poignant messages begin.
13 Going On 30 has every opportunity in the world to fall on its face - but it doesn't. It has every opportunity to leave its audience snoring – but it doesn't. It has every opportunity to go where every single, similar genre movie has gone before only to leave us wondering if Hollywood is so desperate for screenplay material that this is the best they could do – but it doesn't. Instead, 13 Going On 30 packs a powerful message about innocence, friendship, loss, and re-emerging in life with dignity, integrity and grace.
In the movie It's A Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart's character, George Bailey, is challenged with financial devastation that makes him wish he were never born. His wish comes true and he's shown (by Clarence, his guardian angel) how different everything would be had he never arrived on this planet. People, who should be living, are now dead – all because George never lived. People, whose lives should be filled with joy, are filled with darkness and despair – all because George's life never graced theirs. Through this, George learns that suicide isn't the answer, there truly is no place like home and he desperately wants to go back. We can clearly see the doctrine 'be careful what you wish for' in action, thus making George confront his present with bravery and courage.
Jenna's fate is similar. She doesn't get to see how life turned out had she not been born but, instead, how life would be if she chose the path easily taken: The path of selling out her principles, losing her integrity, and letting what's really important slip through her fingers. The cost was high as Jenna sold out her aliveness and happiness for the price of acceptance.
Corny as it is, 13 Going On 30 makes us laugh – a hearty, guttural laugh that cleanses the body. It makes us smile, while we quietly reflect upon our own youthful misadventures and the resulting battle wounds we forgot we had. Finally, it makes us cry when, in our reflections, we realize that while we can't go back, it's never too late to start over; It's never too late to make amends and heal the wounds of the awkward and scared teenager within.
For the teen watching this movie, one can only hope the message of To thine ownself be true is not lost. Authenticity is rarely taught and seldom seen.
13 Going On 30 is magic with a capital M. It's the kind of magic that comes from telling the truth…magic that wakes the soul and let's us know we're alive. Most of all, 13 Going On 30 is about love – genuine, unadulterated, enchanted love. In a world where there's so much violence, so much hatred and fear, remembering how to love others and ourselves is truly the most powerful message to deliver and receive. Well, that and the hot babe that's Mark Ruffalo….
Spygirl, Vartan Ho #5
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