Critic's Grade: B-

Frank's film tip: Gary Winick's body-switching babe fantasy 13 GOING ON 30 is a refreshing, "BIG" surprise. A winning feminist fable that's certainly out of body, out of mind!

Okay, let's get this out of our system right off the bat--Gary Winick's quirky body-switching coming-of-age comedy 13 Going on 30 is begging to become the updated estrogen-induced version of Penny Marshall's hit Big. This is certainly not an unfair comparison. In fact, it's a generous one because Winick's growing pains feminist fable competently rivals Marshall's gem about an adolescent's secret and misguided request to become older while escaping the telling hurdles of youth-oriented angst. There's a genuine and giddy warmth behind 13 Going on 30 that makes this charming feminine teen tale into awkward womanhood feel like an uplifting, whimsical experience.

Winick, whose solid and steady direction was instrumental for pushing the quaint and sophisticated little teen dramedy Tadpole, helms an easy-going and earthy chick flick that's smart and perceptive in its cutesy observations. His leading lady, the photogenic Jennifer Garner (from ABC-TV's spy series Alias), brings a stimulating freshness and believable curiosity as a confused little gal trapped in a vulnerable big gal's curvy body. Granted the material is hopelessly familiar and the formula about undertaking the form of another out-of-body occurrence has been catered to in a number of films as a subject matter. Still, Winick and his expressionistic sass Garner (last seen on the big screen as welcomed eye candy in the dud Daredevil) spin their magic to give 13 Going on 30 its innocuous and savvy stripes.

Garner, stepping into what amounts to be Tom Hanks's Big role armed with high heels and disillusionment, plays Jenna Fine as the clumsy 30-year old adult. But seventeen years earlier, we find Jenna as a 13-year old girl (Christa B. Allen) stuck in the oblivious late 1980s where her detached feelings about her preteen position constantly bewilders her. Poor Jenna is not exactly the most popular young lady among her peers and wishes that her young life had more meaning and spark. Despite having a 13th birthday party to celebrate what will be the beginning of young blooming womanhood, Jenna decides to make a hasty plea to be older and decidedly independent. Before a blink of an eye, this girl wakes up suddenly in the mode of a shapely matured body. Jenna is now thirty and has no recollection as to what happened in the seventeen years that mysteriously flew by since her trivial tainted childhood.

Is the newly anointed older and sexy Jenna Fine appreciative of her favorable metamorphosis? Well, she's now an ambitious magazine editor that can fulfill her materialistic needs as she sees fit. Plus, she has a desirable boyfriend and a lifestyle that she couldn't possibly complain about since everything seems to gel so well with her. The trouble still remains that Jenna cannot remember her transformation even though things are seemingly agreeable in Grown-up Land. Nevertheless, she begins to try to piece together her past as it pertains to her current bewildering existence as a three decade old thriving career woman.

For starters, Jenna attentively seeks out some of the factors that could give her clues as to where she came from after omitting years of progression. She hunts down her childhood friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo) in hope of finding answers that may lead her accordingly. But much to Jenna's surprise, Matt is somewhat indifferent to her. Apparently, the close friends have grown apart and their union has deteriorated over the course of their estrangement. To make matters worse, Jenna has to contend with the fact that her magazine sales have been slipping as of late and that the competition is gaining on her every step of the way. So basically what seemed like a dream come true in finding comfort as an attractive adult woman with an ideal livelihood now is methodically falling to pieces with one crisis after another. It finally occurs to Jenna that she regrets taking for granted her awkward and innocent stages of an unsatisfied girl and trading this discomfort for that of an older disenchanted woman with professional and personal pressures mounting in spurts. Gee, what's a 13 going on 30-year old woman to do in this instance?

Although one can definitely cite the predictability and the driven message that you're better off being who you are as an individual in your own proverbial untied shoes, Winick has the resourcefulness to convey this sentiment in a cheeky movie that's delightfully digestible. It doesn't possess the naughtiness and gumption that made his previous effort Tadpole the winning and snappy story it turned out to be in its impish and engaging skin. However, 13 Going on 30 has the polished glee to be imaginative and pleasing even though the script offers nothing distinctive or fresh in the womanly and gimmicky body-changing concept.

Garner does have that "It" quality that the big screen astutely nurtures from time to time. She's proven to be a credible commodity thanks to her energizing work in weekly television. Hopefully Garner will be used more in feature films as she brings a casual and breezy confidence to the projects she's asked to participate in with her talent and tenacity. Ruffalo is skillful as the low-key putz and plays off of the spunky Garner with an unassuming goofy ease that's reassuring. The supporting cast has their exceptional moments as well. Judy Greer is devilishly sound as Lucy, the mean-spirited and envied gal from Jenna's past that now holds an adult friendship with her in the later years. And Lord of the Rings fans will become nostalgic when they check out Andy "Gollum" Serkis in a fly-by but inspired role as Jenna's colorful boss.

One cannot go wrong with the construction of 13 Going on 30 especially when it's conceived by the insightful minds of writers Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith (What Women Want). And it doesn't hurt that Winick has recruited some of his Tadpole handlers to add their wonderful flourishes to the film's timing and comical flow. Overall, this fantasy-based gem that's ode to the contemporary complications of girl power is strangely poignant and well-crafted.

Surely, 13 Going on 30 is one of the better irreverent films that one will check out pertaining to female bewilderment and its kooky consequences. This will no doubt be more acceptable than the generic and fluffy bubble gum manufactured teen girlie offerings that routinely arrive on the scene to appease the convenient short attention spans of its teen beat masses.

Frank rates this film: *** stars (out of 4 stars)

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