If you like Jennifer Garner (TV's Alias), and if you "experienced" the 1980's as a kid, than you should really enjoy "13 Going on 30."

"13 Going on 30" is about Jenna, a middle school not-too-popular girl with all the self consciousness included. After being used and embarrassed by the "popular" girls in school, and insulting her best friend Matt, she wishes she was instantly 30 years old and thriving. With the help of some wish dust Matt gave her, she wakes up as exactly that.

Jenna is now 30 years old and the editor in chief of "Poise" fashion magazine, dating a New York Ranger, and working besides Lucy, leader of the popular click in junior high. They are now best friends…supposedly. Most more, she seeks out 30 year old Matt and discovers they are no longer friends, and eventually learns why.

The movie is very much like 1988's "Big," starring Tom Hanks, but the plot of "13 Going on 30" differs just a little bit, an important bit. In "Big," Hanks' character turned into an adult magically the day after he wished for it.

Jenna, on the other hand, doesn't magically become an adult. She suddenly leaps forward in her life 17 years. She's had 17 years of development to learn about and learn from. She finds out she became one of the popular girls in school, later alienated anyone who liked her the way she was, including her parents, and she is a fairly immoral person. She finds out she was selling trade secrets to a rival magazine, and she was sleeping with a co-workers husband.

Jenna spends most of act three making her world right, as well as her friendship with Matt. Similar to "Big," Jenna eventually gets to go back to being 13 years old and starts over, having learned her life lessons early.

The pictures messages aren't too original, but the changes from this "glimpse at the future" type of comedy makes THIS movie a little different than others.

Jennifer Garner is an absolute treat in this picture. Her sense of timing and innocence was perfect. Mark Ruffalo, who plays Matt at 30, also did well. I could completely believe he grew up unpopular and the object of ridicule during his school days, especially after losing his best friend, being Jenna.

Another great performance came from Judy Greer as Lucy at 30. Again, the timing of the cast was concrete, and Greer is a perfect example of this.

Director Gary Winnick (Tadpole, Sam the Man) and screenwriters Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (What Women Want, TV's The King of Queens) did an awesome job of focusing on Jenna's lessons, making the picture's situational comedy believable and keeping a high concept picture very grounded.

Overall, having been a child of the 1980's, I really enjoyed the picture's plot, gags, characters and messages. This is a good curl up on the couch with your partner type of flick. A little sappy in spots, but its intelligence overshadow those moments. Give it a rent.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?