Be Careful What You Wish For! (13 Going On 30 (DVD))

Member Name: Brown_eyes1984

Product:	13 Going On 30 (DVD)
Date:	21/02/05 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to watch, enjoyable, leaves a feel good feeling

Disadvantages: not everyone's cup of tea, might be a little too immature at times, guys won't be caught dead watching it

13 going on 30 seems to be the ultimate chick flick smothered with cheesiness and teen humour. It's a film most men wouldn't be caught dead watching and one that is as obvious and as corny as Brian McFadden in his Westlife days (sorry Brian fans!). But don't let that put you off! For it may be cheesy and a little predictable but it's still not as bad as Legally Blonde 2 and it is actually pretty damn enjoyable! So if you're looking for a nice,easy, lighthearted film to watch, keep reading and find out if this film is really for you.

*** About The Film ***

Genre: Teen/Comedy
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo and Judy Greer
Runtime: 98 minutes approximately
Certified: 12A

We've all had times where we've wished our lives could be very different from what they were at the time. Whether it be looking younger, not acting a certain way to something, or not having certain responsibilities. For Jenna Rink it was not being 13 anymore. The heartaches, the friendship dramas, Jenna just wanted it all to stop. She wanted to be 30, flirting and thriving just like the women in the Poise magazine. But when her wish suddenly comes true will Jenna find it all it's cracked up to be?

*** My Opinion on... ***

Here is my opinion on everything from music on the film to the story and the corny ending. Hope you enjoy!

1) The Story

The story, although a little original, is very much like films such as 'Big' or 'Freaky Friday'. There have been quite a few films that have already shown us what happens when somebody changes bodies. So what makes this one any different? To be honest, not a lot.

Jenna Rink hates being 13 and thinks that 30 year olds must have more fun and be a lot happier. When she desperately wishes to be 30 and has that wish granted it opens up a whole new world for Jenna including men, friendships and parties. Although predictable and like other films similar to this one, the story is quite uplifting and nice to watch. There are a few little shocks while watching but nothing major and nothing to make you think 'Oh My God', but still enough to make the film enjoyable. The humour added to the story is what really keeps the film going.

2) It's Humour.

The humour was quite good throughout the film. One of my favourite scenes is where Jenna is with her best friend in a bar and her friend tells her there is a cute guy checking her out. Jenna decides to bite the bullet and go and talk to him but to her friends horror she walks straight up to a 13 year old boy instead of the guy that was actually checking her out. A classic moment that shouldn't be missed.

You shouldn't really expect to be laughing your socks off all the way through the film because you probably won't be. For me there were a lot of funny scenes and I was always smiling but it wasn't overly funny and it didn't make me wet myself or anything. I feel the humour is the best part of the film and for a comedy obviously that is important! It can be quite an immature film though so I don't think the humour will appeal to everyone.

3) Enjoyability.

I've already slightly covered this in the humour section but just to confirm I really did enjoy this film. It was really lighthearted and had a 'feel good' factor to it. I had a constant smile on my face and although I wasn't completely besotted with the film, it did hold my interest and make me want to watch it all the way through. It required no thinking whatsoever and the plot just came together little by little which was nice. The predictability of it didn't spoil it and was quite nice actually as that makes the film even easier to watch though I know some people may find it too cheesy.

4) Music

The music in the film I feel played an important role in the 'feel good' factor, and I would definitely buy the soundtrack from it as it wasn't really too much 'teen' music and I feel it would appeal to women who are young at heart. Also the music didn't add any cheesiness to the film, it just lifted the mood and fitted in really well. Definitely one of my favourite films for the music!

If you do buy the soundtrack you can expect hits from artists such as 'Rick Springfield', 'Belinda Carlisle' and 'Whitney Houston'.

5) Target Audience

This is definitely a teen film but it also seems to have a slightly older feel to it too so I think women of any age could get away with watching it. As I said earlier, men probably won't admit to liking this but my fiance (bless him) really enjoyed it and was laughing just as much as me if not more! So if the guys do give this a chance you may find you are actually surprised and don't worry, if you choose to write about it we won't tease you (much! lol). So more of a woman's film but enjoyable none the less!

6) Cast performances

Jennifer Garner was absolutely amazing in this role. She was really believable and a lovable character. She of course played the lead role of 'Jenna Rink'. For some reason Jennifer reminds me of 'Hillary Swank' she seems to have the same sort of characteristics. I'm sure I'll get some comments about that but hey it's just my opinion! Actually Hillary Swank was considered to play 'Jenna' but it was Jennifer who bagged the role and well deserved too!

I've never really noticed Jennifer's acting skills before though she has been in some great films such as 'Catch Me If You Can', 'DareDevil' and more recently 'Elektra'. Personally I've only seen Catch Me If You Can and I never really noticed her in that one so I can't compare her acting there to her role in this, however i can tell you that if her role in this is anything to go by she is definitely an actress to watch out for. It's been said that if you aren't a fan of Jennifer's after this film you probably never will be and I have to agree. Watching her acting was like watching the character come alive. She really got into it and made the character her own. She outshined all the other actor's and actresses and she never faulted throughout the whole film.

The next main Actor was Mark Ruffalo who played 'Matt Flamhaff', Jenna's old best friend from high school. He delivers a good performance and although he isn't a 'strong' character, his acting skills show that he is quite talented. You may recognize him from other films such as 'View From The Top', 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' and 'Collateral'. I saw him in 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' and thought he delivered quite a good performance there and out of that and this one I'd say his acting was equally as good in both. Here he comes across quite matter of factly and accepting of what life throws at him and he really does play his role well. I'd say he is an actor to watch out for and I think he'd make a great leading role in a film sometime.

Judy Greer is the last Actress I am going to mention. She is better known for her roles in 'The Wedding Planner', 'Rules Of Love' and 'The Village'. Here she plays Jenna's best friend 'Lucy Wyman' one of the 'popular' girls from high school. She's basically the film 'baddie' in this but I found I didn't really hate her that much as there wasn't a lot of 'bitchiness' and it was all a little bit too immature for my liking. However she did play her role well and although I feel it did not test her acting skills to the limit, she was still good and deserved a mention.

So to sum up it didn't have the biggest cast in the world but Jennifer Garner really did shine and make this film her own. If there was a performance to watch out for I'd definitely recommend that it is hers. A full cast list can be found on many film sites so just type in the title of the film in a search engine and you should be able to find out if any other actors or actresses you like are in there.

*** My Overall Opinion ***

I would recommend this to anybody looking for an easy film to watch. It's great if you are feeling down as it really does cheer you up so have a nice bath, get your slippers, dressing gown and hot chocolate and slip this into your video/dvd player and enjoy. But don't forget guys you might also enjoy it so draw the curtains, lock the doors, get out a beer or two and enjoy!There really is no age limit and I guarantee you will laugh at, at least one section of the film! So go on, rent it out what can you lose?

Aimee xxx

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