Guilty Pleasures

Saw 13 Going on 30 last night. If you've seen Big, well then you've seen 13 Going on 30. But I still really enjoyed it. It was cute, funny, syrupy (of course) and predictable. In addition:

It plays nearly all of my favorite Billy Joel song, "Vienna." (I guess it's a natural choice. The lyrics seem to work well with the plot.)

It has possibly the funniest striptease on film. (Sam Ball, wonderfully cheesy as the self-absorbed hockey player boyfriend who dances to "Ice, Ice, Baby.")

I generally like Mark Ruffalo, whom I also just saw in Collateral (which I'll save for another post).

And then there's Jennifer Garner. Man, I swear I could just watch her stand on stage and read from a phone book. Those eyes. Those lips. And the dimples....sweet leaping jeezus, the dimples. I previously had only seen her in dramatic roles from Alias and Daredevil. But not only can she do comedy, she can do it so well that it just about singlehandedly saves the film. Like Tom Hanks in the aforementioned Big, Garner is wonderfully goofy, and perfectly captures the 13 year old mind/30 year old appearance character. I just keep thinking of the smallest of movements, such as when her friend tells her that she (Garner) has had a nose job, and she crosses her eyes and cocks her head--almost imperceptibly--trying to get a glimpse. She's just fascinating to watch. And it's not just because she's beautiful (although she is). There's more to it than that. You've probably heard people talk about someone's smile or personality being "contagious." That's what I felt like during this film.

Yes, it's a chick flick, and a teen flick, and corny, and predictable, and full of cliches, and all those things. But I don't care, do you hear me? God help me, I enjoyed myself and I don't care who knows it. So there. Nyahh.