Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Gary Winick
Rated: PG
SUDDENLY 30 features some mean girls.
At school, they are particularly unpleasant to Jenna, using her assignment plans, coming to her birthday party but then tricking her to hide in the cupboard waiting for the kiss from the boy she has a crush on. But, all she gets is a kiss from the best friend she takes for granted, the chubby Matt.
No, that is not all, she gets her wish fulfilled, that she be 30.
She is big (just as once Tom Hanks was). She gets a terrible shock to find that she has become worse than any of the mean girls, has lost touch with Matt and seems to be one of the most disagreeable editors on the magazine she used to idolise at 13.
While there are a few jokes about a gawky 13 year-old in a 30 year-old’s body, the plot is more about how she can become a better person. Fortunately, she tracks down Matt who is really a very decent guy, although engaged to a super-energetic professional, and a very good photographer.
We watch Jenna move from mean to amenable to sugar and spice.
Jennifer Garner is more used to being in action on television’s Alias. She has a pleasing screen presence here, a Julia Roberts smile and some comic timing.
Mark Ruffalo is the nice grown-up Matt. Fame has come to Andy Serkis after being Gollum and here he is as the supervising editor of the magazine.
The title probably describes the target audience for the film.
