No Brainer

13 Going On 30...

Chick-flick? Check.
Corny? Check.
Predictable? Check.
Feel-Good-Don't-Have-To-Think-Too-Much-Romantic-Comedy-Like-A-Million-Others-Before-It? Check.
Storyline Done Before? Check. (as in "Big", Tom Hanks' classic)

So, why the hell spend close to two hours in front of the television watching something that has, according to the checklist above, so few attractions? Let´s see now...

How about this for starters: Jennifer Garner. Man, this girl just lights up the screen. She´s simply stunning! And not in a lingerie-model kind of way, but more like a girl next door who one day you look at and say "Whoa, what happened to YOU?". And even if she´s no Meryl Streep, she can carry a movie too.

What else? Some pretty good laughs, believe it or not! A dozen people dancing, despite their obvious discomfort, the entire choreography to Michael Jackson´s "Thriller" makes for not only a healthy round of hysterics, but also serves as a great revival of those fantastic 80´s which so many of us grew up in and now look back in nostalgia. In fact, the first twenty minutes of the movie are a faithful ode to 80´s pop culture - sights and sounds you thought you'd never see or hear again. Throw in some periodically funny dialogue and you have a delicious dose of endorphins running through your pipes.

You will, however, have to bear with the fact that the movie has that corny and ever-present "message" of righteousness, of what is virtuous, of going back and fixing your life´s mistakes. But at least it doesn´t pretend to be anything else. Like the title here says, it´s a no brainer, with the sole purpose of entertaining. And sure, it fumbles about and trips over its own legs once in a while as it tries to squeeze the story into two hours. Furthermore, as hard as it may try to distance itself, it is inevitably a spinoff of "Big". But hey, none of this is too difficult to overlook if you´re in the mood for a harmless laugh or two.

So go ahead. If you´re not looking to rack your brains with some mindboggling Euromovie, indulge yourself! Waste away in front of the screen, popcorn at your side. It´s good for your health once in a while.

Oh, two more things: First, take a look at the actor who plays her boss in the movie and try to figure out what other memorable character he played recently! It´s rather fascinating! Second, did I mention that Jennifer Garner is in this?