 13 Going on 30, another movie in which a child switches bodies with an adult, is no Big or even a Freaky Friday, critics agree. But star Jennifer Garner is receiving high marks in the charm department. Jonathan Foreman in the New York Post writes that the Alias star "turns out to be a very fine comedienne with an extraordinary knack for moving and sounding like a real teenager -- all awkward vitality and openness -- despite looking very grown-up indeed." Jami Bernard in the New York Daily News praises Garner's ability for "capturing the body language of a spirited, giggly girl, and turning that into an appealing womanly trait." And Carrie Rickey in the Philadelphia Inquirer comments that "Garner delivers an irresistible, star-making performance." Not doing so well in the eyes of most critics is the movie itself. "13 Going on 30 plays like it was made by people who are 30 going on 13. The movie is as flighty and mixed up as the adolescent girl at its center," Mark Caro observes in the Chicago Tribune. But Manohla Dargis argues in the Los Angeles Times: "Life is too short to get worked up about what movies like this are trying to say when all they're really saying is, 'Isn't Jennifer Garner adorable and won't she make a great star?'" |
