‘13 Going on 30’ With Bill Simmons and Juliet Litman
128m 19s
The rewatch of *13 Going on 30* highlights its enduring cultural relevance, driven by intergenerational viewing and nostalgic appeal. The film’s lighthearted, family-friendly tone makes it accessible across age groups, particularly resonating with 30-somethings and their children. Jennifer Garner’s performance as the 13-year-old Jenna is celebrated for its charm and authenticity, showcasing her early breakthrough and innate connection to the character. A key factor in the film’s longevity is its iconic soundtrack, which blends 2000s pop hits with timeless tracks like Billy Joel’s “Vienna,” creating a memorable and emotionally resonant experience. The film’s premise—where a young girl mysteriously swaps bodies with an adult—has become a cultural touchstone, inspiring numerous imitations and sparking discussions about the body-switch genre. It also reflects the peak of the late 1990s/early 2000s rom-com boom, when music and pop culture were deeply woven into cinematic storytelling. Mark Ruffalo’s role as the adult man adds warmth and humor, while the film’s tight, engaging 97-minute runtime and strong performances prevent it from feeling outdated. Despite some logical inconsistencies, the film’s charm, emotional authenticity, and cultural references allow it to remain a beloved classic. Its resurgence is also tied to the rise of social media, particularly TikTok, where users recreate and share scenes involving adult and teen versions of the characters. Ultimately, *13 Going on 30* stands as a testament to how a well-crafted, emotionally resonant film can transcend its initial release and become a generational touchstone.
So rewatchables is brought to you by the Ringer podcast network where my co-host today, Juliet Lippman, who hasn't been out in a while for a variety of reasons. Maybe we'll discuss them later. You can find her in jam session. You can find her in the, what do we call the reality pod down? We changed the name. Reality hangover and we're we're having a lot of fun. Used to be bachelor party. It was bachelor party forever. Yeah. And way back. Now it's reality hangover. Anyway, you've brought this movie up to me a bunch of times. And now we're going to do it. 13 going on 30 is next. This episode of the rewatchables is presented by Mazda. One reason why Mazda was named consumer reports safest new car brand. Confidence isn't an upgrade. It's a given. Take the Mazda CX 50 hybrid. It comes standard with a suite of pro active safety features. Mazda. Move and be moved. Visit Mazda USA dot com and discover how confidence comes standard. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services. Visit Mazda USA dot com to learn more. All right. You love this movie. I mainly love Jennifer Garner. She is like the second person in Hollywood. I would take a bullet for she is so important to me. And I'm just delighted to be talking about her with this movie. Thanks for having me. Who's the first person? Sandra Bullock. Of course. So that I would take a bullet for your rankings is Sandra Bullock 1, Garner 2. Yeah. Am I in the top 10? I'm going to put you at number 4. Kerry Russell is number 3. And then we get it to you. Kerry Russell. Yeah. Absolutely. Jennifer Garner said recently about this movie 13 going on 30. We were so little when we shot that movie. I don't I mean she was like 32. I don't know what she's saying there. But the entire movie I feel like is just resented in the zeitgeist over the past couple of years. I've seen both Judy Greer and Mark Ruffalo recently. We talk about it every time we see each other. Like are you hearing more about 30 going on 30 that when it came out all those years ago and the answer is yes. It's weird when this happens, but it definitely 100% happened with this movie. For sure. I think there's a few reasons. Usually, you know, in this era, one of the answers is always TikTok. And I do think that contributes here. When I was prepping for the pot, I was like let's see what people are saying about this movie over there. And there's a lot of like 30-ish-year-old moms and their teenage daughters doing Halloween costumes together where one is young Jenna and then there's adult Jenna. So I think this has very firmly become a family movie that is intergenerational. And you know, people can watch it together. So I think there's part of that. I think also Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, like both, you know, kind of had a big moment with this movie. And then they're both sort of back for various reasons. And Jennifer Garner is ubiquitous not just for being an actress though. And I'd love to discuss that with you. Because her career is so fascinating. And so I think there's just a lot of entry points for this movie. And in rewatching it, I was actually just like really taken by how family friendly it is. And there's not really anything that like your 10-year-old can't really see. Maybe some stuff they wouldn't get, but it would all be like above board. So people can just gather around this movie and watch it together. And then there's a bunch of iconic things from it, like the fashion, the hair styles, a few lines. Like, there's many things that have transcended the movie that I think also can grab you. Great timing. Oh, for Redduce, she's about to date start dating Aflac, which we can talk about. She's not Alias, which is a hit show. And she kind of needed that one movie to push her into the zeitgeist a little bit more, which is what happened with this. I remember there was, it was such an unabashed big ripoff, which is funny. The writers were like, oh, no, we were influenced by a lot of movies. Like, no, this movie's big, but but it was such like it was like critically, I wouldn't say beloved, but I think as the years passed and I watched it in my family because my daughter was born a year after this movie. And my wife and daughter absolutely love this movie. And so people are wondering like, why is this on the rewatch? It's like, this has been an honor my house for 20 years. Definitely. You know, and I get sucked in, I get sucked out. There's a lot of fun parts, but for the most part, just a really happy movie. Yes. It's just a fun hang. Even when we hit the part where it's like going to, you know, every romcom at about like the one hour, 10 minute mark. Something has to happen where we have to play the sad music. And this in this case, the sad music is Vienna by Billy Joel. It's like one of the best scenes in the movie. And I think Vienna is another big piece of this movie. Yeah. And I have a lot of Vienna thoughts later, but that became a big part of why this movie, I felt like just had a second, third, fourth life. But now you have people like my daughter who's now in her 20s who loves this movie. And then when she has kids, if she has kids, I assume she will, she will pass this movie down to her. And I just feel like that's what's going to happen now for the next 50 years. Definitely. And in nine years, Zoe will watch this movie when she's turning 30 and be like, it all comes together. It's funny to watch it as a young person and then come back to it, like in 30 or older. And Jennifer Grunner's performance of, you know, she's, I think you said, she was 31, I think when she filmed it. And a 31 year old playing a 13 year old is like a very funny thing to consider. And she does it so well. But I think that's another reason why it's so popular is like 30 and 30 and thriving is something people have been saying since 2004. And when you turn 30, you want to watch the movie to remember why she says that and it's very, it's very fun. Yeah, we should talk. Well, let's talk body switch movies first and then we'll talk Jennifer Grunner. Okay. It's crazy. We've made so many of these. This is a premise that can exist in real life. And there's probably been 50 of these made, they get made all the time. When big came out, there were like three other versions of big that were out. And they're all competing with each other in the body switch space. And then when this came out, it was right after a freaky Friday had come out and it just feels like we keep going in waves with this person's now in this person's body, which is an absurd premise. This would never happen. Yeah. It can't hold up to logic. And yet people keep returning to it. Like when Jenna goes back at the end of the movie and she remembers everything that happens, she then has to live like her second life with the memories of what happened in her first life. Like that. Yeah. Do you learn? And how do you remember everything? Do you learn from the experience? Craig, what body switch? Who would you want a body switch with if you had the body switch with anybody? Would it be Chris Collinsworth? I was going to go Steph Curry, but Collinsworth is top five probably. Steph Curry. So you're just switching bodies with Steph Curry, just murder in the 22 Celtics. Yeah. And then learning some of that year. Yeah. Exactly. Learning some lessons after. I ranked body switch movies. Okay. But I really did the comedies because if it's not comedies, then you get into like there's a whole bunch of there's been horror movies, science, fiction stuff. So I'm ruling out face off. Okay. I'm ruling out freaky, which I actually really liked with Vince Vaughan in 2020. And movies like Kevin can wait down to earth. These are just the pure sitcom-y almost like comedies. Sure. I'm also ruling out a movie I never heard of when I was researching this nine lives in 2016. It's vaguely familiar. Yeah. Kevin Spacey, dad of a family becomes trapped in the body of his family cat, Mr. Fuzzy pants. I think that's that one. Is that the version of Hollywood jail that Kevin Spacey was sent to? Maybe he was trying to tell us something. And then another movie that I think I blocked out of my mind 2015, the cobbler Adam Sandler walks and people shoes. And that's right. I think that one kind of everyone thinks that Sandman who I love has just been batting a thousand and he just hasn't. There's been a couple whiffs and that was definitely one of them. All right. On a scale of one to ten. Okay. So I'm going to rank. I'm going to build to number 10. All right. Number one. One out of 10. The hot chick in 2002. Rob Schneider switching bodies with Rachel McAdams. I can't believe she hasn't made enough money yet to just destroy all copies of this. Maybe she needs to do. What was the one? The notebook? The notebook with Ryan Gosling, her finest movie. Second finest movie. Maybe she needs to do notebook to Netflix or Amazon. Take all the money and destroy things as the hot chicks. That's one out of 10. Okay. Two out of 10. Dream a little dream with the Cori's Cori and Cori Feldman. Nice. This was the rare four person body switch. It was a teenage couple switching bodies with an older couple. Really bad, but someone made a sequel. Three out of 10. There's a whole bunch of father son versions of this, which never really worked, including 17 again with Matthew Perry and Zach Efron. Interesting set. That was by the way. Oh my god. Yeah. Like father, like son in 1987, Kurt Cameron and Dudley Moore. How would those two be related? That's crazy. And then vice versa in 1988, we judge Ryan Holden, Fred Savage is probably the best of the three. Anyway, that's three out of 10. Four out of 10, the change up with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Blake in 2009. Both of them were kind of like we can be on a movie poster, but none of them were having success with movies yet. And this is not a very good movie. Five out of 10. Now we're moving in the Juliette stratosphere here, pray to a kiss.
- Hmm. - Meg Ryan Howke Baldwin, what are your thoughts on this? - It was like the latter days of Meg's arc and it sort of felt like a favor that she did it, but I enjoyed it. I mean, everything from the Pixie Cup forward is sort of a different era for her, but it's good. - She didn't go to the NBA finals with this one, but she definitely made the playoffs and has good stats, but it is not around two movie. - Yeah, it's okay. - Six out of 10, follow me with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. This is just during the Steve Martin run of like really solid comedies who was making in the 80s. - I love Lily Tomlin, so I'm in. - Seven out of 10, freaky Friday. Not 1976 freaky Friday, which is a weird movie, which I saw in the theater with my mom. 2003 Lindsey Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis. This is a rock solid movie, really good. - It's a great movie. It's a classic for me. Lindsey Lohan's fantastic in it. - Really good. - I remember going on like Kazaa and downloading the songs that she sang in it. Like I wanted the music from the movie. It's legitimately really good. I understand why they did the sequel like last year. - So freaky Friday, she had the movie where she played the twins. - Parent trap. - Parent trap, and then she had Mean Girls on the span of two years and was probably like minus 130 to win an Oscar at one point on Fandall, which didn't exist back then, but that was a peak. - Unbelievable. - We're from freaky Friday to Mean Girls followed by her music, the song rumors. It was just like such an amazing run of like this person cannot miss. And then she missed a lot, but that's okay. We'll always have that one year. - It's okay. It's okay to make mistakes, but yeah, she was really going for it. 8 out of 10, I have 13 going on 30, 9 out of 10 being John Malkovich and 10 out of 10 big. - That's a nice wrinkle in there. - Yeah, and I really wasn't sure if that should even be included, but I think it should be because it is, it's basically the really smart, - Yeah. - Highbrow version of one of these movies. So, but I think big's the best one ever. You agree with that? - Oh, I think it's like, it's like the icon and everything else feels derivative from it. I mean, 13 going on 30 and admitted to it in various ways, like in all the press and everything. But yeah, it's like-- - There's multiple, she's eating the shrimp at the party, throws the thing, like that's in there. - Definitely. - When she wakes up, does know where she is, touches her boobs, he like looks down in his pants. The other thing with this movie, it's the tail end of the rom-com boom. And either you or Wesley are one of the two best people on the planet to talk about this. But we have this, the Meg Ryan, Julie Roberts, fueled boom. And we're just making them for 10 straight years. Oh, four gave us 51 states, a long came poly, Mean Girls and 13 going on 30 plus, Garden State, before Sunset and the Notebook. - It's crazy, so many good movies. - And it kind of, we kind of ran out of ideas right around here for the rom-coms. And I also think we might have, we had this incredible Hall of Fame class of Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, all like these kind of the class right after Meg Ryan, Jennifer Garner's in there, Drew Barrymore, made a bunch of them. And we never really replenished the roster. - No. - And that was kind of it. We had some people we were counting on. I think Rachel McAdams would have been a good one. But the next class just couldn't do it. - And for whatever reason, Rachel McAdams, like she was never like the lead. I love Morning glory. Have you seen Morning glory lately? - Yeah, you've tried to fishhook me with it a bunch of times. - That's like her movie, but all of her other great rom-coms, she's like 50% of the equation at most. Like Wedding Crashers is probably her best comedy movie. And she's like the number three person in that at most. And like, you know, it just sort of feels like it never really took off for her in the right way. And I actually think it's sort of similar to Jennifer Garner. Like I think Jennifer Garner almost came like a tad too late for the rom-com boom. Like if she had had sweet home Alabama two years earlier, like Reese, I think we would think about her differently. But she was, you know, a TV actress. And so as a result, like her rom-com moment sort of stands alone almost where like it could have been, it could have been more if the timing was slightly different. And by 2005, like just what, I think like a new set of like teens kind of take over like to the Lindsey Loham point. Like it's like her and like Hillary Duff and like this first generation or this next generation of Disney stars starts kind of like going younger. - Amanda Barnes. Honestly, some of them weren't ready. Some of them couldn't handle it. The spotlight was too bright. - Exactly. And so it ended up being like these family movies for her instead of like what we consider like these, you know, canonical rom-coms essentially. And of course the Judd Appetiteau era starts set in and all that. - So I was gonna say that. I think that was the other thing that happened is the traditional rom-com, which just exists. You just know what it is for 15 years from when Harry Mitsawi. - Yeah. - All the way through basically to 2005. A lot like love one of my wife's favorite movies. That's kind of the end line. - Sure. - The Appetiteau generations coming in. They're taking a lot of the rom-com stuff but then they're also bringing the R-rated comedy in it and they kind of blend it. - Yeah. - And that, I felt like kind of killed rom-coms a little bit because then the rom-coms were trying to be more like the Appetite movies. Like the change ups a good example. That's a pretty raunchy movie. - Yeah, definitely. I think they also just tried to get a little too high concept. Like I always think about the breakup, which is a movie I really don't like. But that was like a depressing movie disguised as a rom-com because in the moment Vince Vaughn had so much juice. And I think that sort of like men just took over comedy where it used to be a little bit more like skewing towards women and more of like family centric. But like I think about old school in 2003 just before this as also just like a major turning point because it was so popular. Same with Anchorman. Like those were like when I was, you know, 18. Those were like the biggest movies and there was like kind of like no time for rom-coms in the same breath. And like you could only really focus on one. And it was just like Kristi, I think Kristina obligates like an amazing comedic actress. But you know, she's again like third most famous for her most important. - Yeah, but she couldn't made a bunch of rom-coms, right? - Well, she did. They weren't that popular. - She's a good ones. - Yeah. - Yeah, there's like, there's also these meta rom-coms that come turn to the decade, you know, where like the one Timberlake made, the one Ashton Kutcher made. Like those ones, friends of the benefits, those kind of ones where they're winking to the ones from the past 'cause they know they're basically ripping them off. - Totally. - So they're just not as good. Five-year engagement I think is, that's probably the best of that group. And I wouldn't even put it in the class of some of these. - It's kind of a sad movie. You're just like, why are you guys so engaged? And like, I feel like also winters bad for rom-coms. And there's the point of the five-year engagement where it's like really cold in Ann Arbor. And you're just like, why are they there? Like give us like a beautiful fitting best of. - He can't find a job. - Yeah, he's like, his confidence has been ruined. - Yeah. - So they were trying to take them to the next level. And that's one of the things with this movie. This movie is 97 minutes. - Amazing like, thank you so much. - It's fucking happy for 92 of them, right? And we're outside, we're in New York. New York's never looked better. She's happy the entire time. Ruffalo looks great. Everybody looks great. And this is just what this is the model of how to do this. - Absolutely. Also, I was thinking a lot about like why this movie would never be made now. And like the exposition scenes of this movie, like in the beginning when she's in Mark Ruffalo's apartment and she's like trying to figure out what happened. It's like a very artistic scene. Like we can talk about more when we get into the categories, but like there's so much craft in this tightly made 97 minute movie that like there's not a lot of wasted time. Like there's not like a lot of downtime to, you know, check your phone or whatever. It's very tight. And I also think that like everyone has a lane. Like it's both, it's feels familiar, but each performance is like pretty strong. So you feel like there's like new life in it. - So I was thinking the wishing dust that they have in this, whatever, that pops out of the dream house. - Sure. - The Zoltar and then One Wish Willow from Obsession. There's the three versions of the same thing this mystical. I do have some nitpicks about the house, but the premise of how they get into this, it's like, okay, she's in the closet. There was some magic fairy dust and she was wishing, all right, talk me into this. All right, Jennifer Garner, let's go. - Jennifer Garner. - She's 31 when she makes this movie. She looks lights out fantastic. It's the most likeable charismatic. She's never been in a movie, I think. Perfect role for her. I can't really imagine anybody else in it. And it's a little like the Tom Hanks and Big Wear. There's an innocence with her. There's a sexiness to her, but it also makes sense that she's not comfortable on her own body and she just kind of nails it. And she's just a great hang for 97 minutes. - It's great. I have one alt that I wanted to suggest for you, which is Cameron Diaz. Is she too pretty for this? Is she too like everyone who says she is, but the reason I think that is, I think Cameron Diaz is one of our great. - She definitely could have done this from a physicality standpoint. - Exactly, the physical comedian aspect of it that when she first wakes up in the apartment, I was like, this is so Cameron Diaz, like she must have watched her or something, but she doesn't have the same sort of innocence that Jennifer Garner is able to bring. And like, I think that's been key to Jennifer Garner's career, but that's the only other person I was thinking of throughout the day. - But here's the thing. If this came out in 2004 with Cameron Diaz, I already have spent 10 years of movies with Cameron Diaz. There's no discovery with her. One of the great things about this movie in Jennifer Garner is unless you watch Aliess, you didn't really have a history with her. You know, where it's like, pretty woman was the same thing with Julie Roberts. Sandra Pollack, same thing in speed where I don't have any baggage of other movie
roles with them. And I'm just like, this is the movie we were like, I'm kind of falling for you as I watch this movie because I don't really know you for many other things. I didn't watch Aliess. Did you ever watch Felicity? Didn't watch Felicity. That was her first major role as a, as a Felicity obsessive. I feel a lot of like ownership over Jennifer Garner, which I'm not. She's only in a couple episodes, right? She's in it for three. She's in it in the first season for two. And then she comes back at the very end for a third. She met her first husband, Scott Foley on the set when she was in season one. So it's sort of like part of the lore. But then I was obsessed with Catch Me If You Can when it came out. And she has a great cameo in that. So, you know, I personally brought a lot of baggage of Jennifer Garner to the, to the movie. It was like so happy for her to get this role. Is this the first time you really saw her, though? Must have been. Yeah. I was looking back at the IMDB. She basically lost her entire 20s to bad shows and movies and things that almost made it, but didn't. Like she was in a show in 1998 called Significant Others on Fox. Right. And it was about a bunch of 20-somethings that live in LA and they're friends. And I actually probably would have watched that show. Definitely. I don't even remember it. Maybe I watched it and don't even remember it. But so that show bombed that last five episodes. Then she was Jennifer, love you. It's best friend. In Tommy, your life on Fox, where they spun Jennifer, love you it off. She moves to New York to find her birth mother. Yes. And I actually did watch a couple episodes of that show because I'd like Jennifer to do it. And we both look party of five. And we love party of five had to support the franchise. But that show somehow lasted 18 episodes. I don't remember any of them. It's crazy. I think I watched all 18, but I might be the only person. Felicity three episodes. And then in '01, Alias finally happens. But she was toiling away there for eight years. Like she was a hostess at a New York City restaurant at one point. She there's a famous story where she babies sat for Stephen Colbert's kids. It's crazy. So she bounced around a little bit from an IMDB standpoint. Alias happened when we launched Jimmy Kimmel show. It's so funny to think it back to this. But the first year at Jimmy Kimmel show, he's on ABC. Alias is taking off on ABC. And he did this whole running bit about how he was in love with Jennifer Garner. And she came on and he did this whole like he was like a schoolboy who had a crush on her, like an ABC crush. And that's how long ago that that she hit. But Alias was the thing. Oh, big time. It started in '01. There's like a lot of stories about how J.J. Abrams would go between the Felicity set and the Alias set and they're right next to each other. Same lot. And she then did that for five seasons. One of my favorite things about Jennifer Garner is like she stays close with with co- with co-workers, co-stars. Yeah, you know is judge that. You like when when the celebrities don't stay close with the co-workers, you notice Julia Polis is weighing in with reports. Absolutely. And she is one of the reasons I love her. She's I think Victor Garner. I think officiated her wedding with Ben Affleck. Yeah. They're so really close. She was recently at Mark Ruffalo's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. She gave a speech. She's still really close Bradley Cooper. Like she helped him out with like Leonard Cohen press when he was doing that just to like and she like moderated some six to 57 minute talk in a theater that I watched all of for some reason because I love her on YouTube. I wasn't even there. And she's still really close with Judy Greer, who she just reunited with. And of course, one of my favorite TV shows of the year, Five Star Weekend. So, you know, like it's amazing how much you're in the show. But it's absolutely great time. Come on. My wife devoured it with a fork in a knife and a one sauce just absolutely devoured it. I was just there making jokes all the time. I was anticipating it for about 14 months. So when it finally arrived, I was ready. And I I had the time of time of my life at a great time. Like I just a lot of nick slip of things. But anyway, check it out. Jennifer Garner a celebrity chef. Right celebrity chef. She's like an Instagram chef who somehow has like a 45 million dollar house and Nantucket and invites all these women that she's friends with and maybe not friends with to her 45 million dollar house and plans the whole weekend and the most anal a a type way possible. And then shenanigans happen. Like barely like they just sort of like go like not not much happens to sort of the point just turned out there's a lot of like lies to expose. Spoiler her husband dies and one of the ladies that comes to the weekend is the lady he was having an affair with that she finds out about that weekend. And they met a lot. Yeah. It's a fan. She she invites a fan to her home on the Nantucket where like you need a ferry to get off. So there's something goes a ride. It's like hard to part. So you know what I'm never doing inviting a fan to a vacation. I just can say, would you ever do that. I don't see that happening. Also her husband was Josh Hamilton my guy from kicking and screaming. So hated to see him have a texting accident. What about Chloe 70 as a townie. I mean, no one has ever been less of a townie than Chloe 70. It was really it was it was tough. Anyway, Jennifer Gardner what I want to say what's crazy to think about she's doing you know 22 episodes a year of of alias and then in her summer break she's shooting a movie every year. That's like that's a lot of work. That's like very hard driven and she's married. Yeah, she does catch me the if you can in 2002 Daredevil where she reconnects with Ben Affleck who she had already been on Pearl Harbor with. She's an alias 13 going on 30 may start stating Ben Affleck right around there. The movie career that the best movie she ever made other than this one. Do you know she's the female lead in Dallas virus club which was respected and I don't think Danny Collins would be the other one. I really like Danny Collins. Okay, interesting. Yeah, I think this is by far her her biggest credit. I think Juneau is an interesting life for that movie at you know, it's like it had made a big impression when it came out and then culturally mattered for a year or two and hasn't held up in the same way. Also, I think it's part of the Bateman Renaissance like around the same time as the rest of development stuff. But it just like doesn't really get acknowledged. I think people have a lot of flaws with it. But it was sort of like a turning point for her because she was not not likeable in that movie. And she's just sort of it was kind of like the darker character of that movie. Yeah, I don't like dark Jennifer Garner. Me neither and I don't. She did that in peppermint too which is basically taking her John Wick for a female who loses her child. I can remember the plot, but she's it's like an action movie and it's just I don't want I want happy Jennifer Garner. Yeah, it's not her like that's not actually her personality. And I think that one of the reasons she's so charming in this and she has said this in many interviews is that like Jenna Rink is similar to her personality. And so she could really connect with the character. And that obviously comes through. I wish I also mentioned the the Affleck relationship coming off benefit where he was in a relationship that was so famous and so gigantic that it actually got a nickname. I think that might have been the first one to get the nicknames. Really? I got to think about that. I feel like it beat Brat beat Brangelina by a year. I remember a relationship nicknames. I just want to say that I read a 2017 interview where Ben Affleck says he and Jennifer Garner fell in love on the set of Electro. So I don't think we even have the dance around. I mean, Daredevil. We don't even have the dance around it. 2002. He said, oh, they shot it in 2002. And he said that's when they found love. So I am with JLo at the time. So it's it's all a little fuzzy. You know, there was Scott Foley. There was Michael Barton. And then so she had Scott Foley. Then broke up with Scott Foley, divorced him, started dating Michael Barton and then there was an Affleck overlap. That's correct. Um, can I read you something really funny? Juliet actors just fall for each other. They're on the set. Close quarters. They're making out. They're supposed to have sparks and connections. Yeah. It's insane to think that you wouldn't. Like if you are trying to play a part as best you can, what do you like fall in love with the person who's also doing that opposite you like on these long days? I think it's completely understandable. I thought this way about Craig a bunch of times. We watch a bus like we spend so much time together. And he said, hand some guys, you know, um, it's very understandable. Um, Mark Ruffalo. Did you get all your Jennifer Garner takes out or do you have any more of the holster? Yeah, you know, I'm sure we'll get to them. I just think that she's electric. I love her. And I think we'll talk about it in her performance through the categories and stuff. I, I just think that she should have had a better career. And I think part of that is because she like has been very open about choosing family because right after this movie comes out, their first otters born shortly thereafter. So I was going to say that I, I think she's two, three movies short, but I agree with you, but I think it was 100% the family thing. She just became a mom. She started raising kids and stopped working as much. Yeah, she was just like, I'm doing one movie a year when it fits in. She and Ben Affleck used to talk about how they would never film at the same time, the family would move for each other's project. So that's her choice. And I think that she seems like a pretty happy fulfilled person. So I think it was the right move for her. But as a fan, I think she could have been more resellable. And I don't think she's quite there. The frustrating thing when you look back at the IMDB, she just didn't get the chances to later. Yeah. Like her 20s, it probably should have happened. Like she could have easily been on party five in 1995 or one of the, one of those shows or she could have joined the cast of the 902 and 0 and season six. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then gotten the, gotten the chops to start making movies from there. Imagine her as Valerie, what a, what a life that would have been. Valerie, that's it. She could have been a good clear. Oh, interesting. Okay, I love Claire one
my faves. You like Claire? I've always loved her. Yeah. Claire hated her. And I don't to know experience she basically talks about it. Like she went to go serve and be a nun for four years. Jenny Garth really sounds like she was an absolute nightmare. I think she was hard to be around. And I think she had an authority with stuff too, but she laughed so much. Mark Ruffalo hits the scene a little another one who's a little bit of a late bloomer hits the scene in 2000 when you can count on me, which is an extraordinary movie that we're going to do on the rewatch. But it's some point. Okay. His IMDB is awesome from that point on. It is like the places that he makes is so much fun. He's in the last castle with Redford. He's in a movie called XXXY, which I cannot recommend highly enough from a to be like just just throw it on. It's one of those. It's there's a million of these. But this one I think is really good. And your girl Claire's in it. Oh my god. I got to go home and do that. Okay. I am a huge XXXY fan. I would own it on 4K Blu-ray if it existed in the cut with Meg Ryan, really weird movie. We don't live here anymore, which I've recently watched too much with Laura Dern and Peter Krausez in it. And who's the other one? Naomi Watts. It's like a weird couples might like each other. They just film it in the middle of nowhere. I vaguely remember this movie. Then he's in internal sunshine. And then in '04 he does 13 go on 30 and collateral. He's filming at the same time. Unbelievable. Is that a rewatchables category? The strangest two movies somebody filmed at the same time who's filming this and going back and forth with collateral. That's incredible. That's also like collateral such an amazing LA movie and 13 go on. It's a great New York movie. It's very different mindset and also doesn't for in particular. It's like just could be more different. That's amazing. Kudos to him. I have this written down. Tell me if I'm right or wrong. Most overqualified romcon leads since Tom Hanks. Too good of an actor to be in this, which is why he's good at this. Yeah, I mean, you can tell that he's like to stay in full, even though he seems to like Jennifer Gardner, like in person. But you can throughout the movie, he's just like, I don't want to be here. It does have a feeling of like, I can't believe my agent talked me into this. Yeah, it's he views it the way people use a view TV. Like I can't believe I'm doing this television show to get, you know, into a movie. I guess that's right. It's weird because later in his career, Mark Ruffalo would never have disdain for something that would become so obvious publicly. He would never have strong opinions that people were aware of. Yeah, I think that might be right. I mean, I'm just trying to think of all of the other ones in history. Like, I think you could maybe put Ryan Gosling in that category, but he wasn't that many wrong comments. Ruffalo is a better actor than Reynolds. Yeah, like Billy Crystal. Ruffalo is probably like, Ruffalo is the lead in task, you know, he's done like real shit. Yeah, so I think it's, I think that he's like Tom Hanks is really the only other one of the conversation. You're right. Well, this story, this is Steven Segal, um, uh, shooting on himself, whatever we call that one for craziest anecdote from, from, uh, the filming. Ruffalo almost left the project during the rehearsals of the Thriller scene because he hated the rehearsal process and the choreography so much. And they, he literally almost left. They had to like, talk him into staying into the movie as they were rehearsing Thriller with them because he was so horrified. But that's like, what I find really funny about that is he got his chops on Broadway, right? Like in place. Yeah. And you would think that someone like in the theater scene would be a little bit more respectful of like grand choreography. But I know, I know, I know he's not a musicals guy. He is our only serious place. So noted. And by the way, it's obvious in the scene. It's a mail-in by him. But I think that's one of the reasons it's so much fun. They also cut out a scene, um, later in the movie when he screams at Jenna, they knew about Sparkle magazine. They knew when you cut those photos loose. Back I cut out. If they had left it in, you would have been done this movie on the rewatchables already. No. Where do you stand on is Mark Ruffalo? How handsome he is? Because my wife has always absolutely loved him. Oh, interesting. I think young Mark Ruffalo had a real like too cool for school charm. Um, he's never really been for me. I like a prettier or more like kind of conventionally handsome rom-com lead. Yeah. But I see it. Like I get that that's a type. Also, there's something about him that's like imperfect. That is refreshing, especially with his teeth and stuff, but she's never changed. Do you know good job holding back here? Uh, Judy Greer's 2000s. Her mount rom more wedding plan or 13 going on 30 27 dresses and love happens. She's basically the robertory of rom-coms. It's amazing. I think and somebody that you personally absolutely loving it. Love. Yeah, absolutely love. My favorite Judy girl performance. This is really random descendants with George Lenny. She's really fucking good in that movie. Really good in that. I agree. Uh, so fantastic. I thought you were going to say that terrible peacock show where she plays the the bitch. Uh, five star weekend. Yeah, five star weekend. She's the last job. Okay. She basically plays Lucy Tom Tom 20 years later. Um, the funny thing about Judy Greer is she isn't so many things and it's those four movies that you listed as what she is known for. I think because she's so good at it. Like in the in the two, the wedding planner and 13 going on 30. We're back to back. I think in back to back years as well. And and she in hilariously enough. It's with JLo and Jennifer Garner, um, a consecutive movies. And it's so funny how like in this era, they're linked in many ways. Yeah. And um, she's just great at it. She's also, you know, she's I think the the wedding planner role is so different. She's like this baddie would nervous assistant. And then she's like this bitch and 13 going on 30. I actually think she's played more mean people than like of the like the wedding planner character, but she's so much better known for being like the likable best friend or whatever. Um, and it's just actually kind of a disservice to her because she is much more than that. She seems like a, she actually is like a pretty great actress. Yeah, she is the two moves, the super sweet friend. Or the I thought you were sweet, but you're actually a horror show. And those are like the two types of characters she plays. Well, Katherine Han in 2003 to 2010 was in how to lose a guy in 10 days. When a date with Tat Hamilton, a lot like love the holiday. And how do you know it's really them in the finals for more? I think it's Katherine Han just based on the credit for credit. I think those movies, she's more impactful. Honestly, like I think Judy Greer is really good. But like Katherine Han also just sort of makes each of those her own. And also Katherine Han was really able to like rise above that image of her. I mean, think about her career sense. Whereas Judy Greer is still known as like the rom conference. A lot like love. A movie I've seen way too many times that appeared on my 50 most rewatchables. It's the 21st century to a lot of people's horror because my wife watches it all the time and talk about rising above. Oh my god. She's pregnant at one point in that movie. And I just caring shit. Um, then we have Andy circuses in this movie too. AKA gollum playing the magazine editor. Where do you stand on any circus? Well, the craziest thing is if this is after Lord of the Rings. Like all all three of the movies are out and he's that he's back playing him, you know, I had some self embodied playing this guy. I don't mind him. I think the more you watch it, like the better his performance scenes. Cause there's like just like funny moments that he lands. Like, um, when he says like his, he's like said his balls are being squished or whatever. It's actually like really funny. And first sort of like is this the right movie for that? But the more I watch it, I was like, Oh, actually, this is kind of like, it's a connective tissue from the movie. It actually works really well. He's basically doing the Martin short and father of the bride completely over the top sidekick character. And then Poise magazine. Poise, yes. Okay. What's going on here? So our friend Wesley, who reviewed this for the Boston Globe, we'll get to that later. Called Poise a Photoshop mix of Cosmo, Jane and Lucky. Yeah, it's like a Cosmo versus glamour kind of thing. Would you bought Poise? Would you have subscribed to Poise when I was four? No. In 2004, I subscribed to people us and in touch. I was already more on like the celebrity paparazzi side and not on like the women's magazine side of things. So this wasn't like a YM. No. And I think that it's an adult version of the YM basically. So yeah, Lucky is I think a good parallel. Yeah. And like, yeah, like a lore a little bit too, which is more makeup driven. But like, yeah, I think it's it's more like that. And YM in 17, of course, you famously wrote for YM. Guy needs to cash check. I think that those are more for like the middle school years, like Lucky when you were 17. Poise. Poise. We're going to take a break. We're going to come back and talk about the actual real star of this movie, the music right after this. This episode is brought to you by Angry Orchard Hard Sider Halloween season calls for something good to drink. Grab Angry Orchards, new limited edition crisp apple and crisp imperial 19.2 ounces cans featuring the iconic ghost face from screen. I guess he is iconic at this point. Available now. Don't get angry. Get Orchard. This Halloween find Angry Orchard in a store near you or visit AngryOrchard dot com. Angry Orchard Sider company LLC. Angry Orchard dot com. Please drink responsibly. Angry Orchard is a hard cider with other natural flavors. So this movie is advertised as Jennifer Garner being the star of 13 going out 30. But it's actually the music. This is one of the best sound tracks ever in a movie. They have the Go Go's with us.
head over heels twice, Jesse's girl, thriller, not just thriller, but the entire thriller song. Burning down the house, talking heads. Madonna crazy for you. Whitney Houston didn't want to dance with somebody. Oh, what I like about you cover. It's not the original one, but it's a cover. Pretty good day. Say, get a little more modern in there. Vanilla ice ice ice baby. Vienna by Billy Joel. Liz Fair, why can't I? Which is a great song. Oh, my God. So it is so important to my teenagers. And then love is a battlefield by Pat Benatar with a call back at the end. This is probably half the budget of the movie. Home, it's so good. Great job, guys. It's incredible. Also, the Liz Fair song is used twice, which also meant a lot to me. We can come back to that a little bit, but it's an amazing soundtrack. And as I was watching, I did wonder how do they get all these songs cleared. It's amazing. I think they probably skimped out on the Alex Carlson character. I have a lot to say about him and use that money toward the music. I actually think I think this was a choice. I think they thought we're going to spend a few million dollars on the music because it's a huge part of this movie. And they didn't skimp on any part. Every song's a banger, every song's famous. And then when you think about 2004, they do a good job of the nostalgia. It's like about 20 years after a lot of these songs hit, combined with some of the newer stuff. And it's honestly a tour de force. I can't believe how good they did with that. It also just feels like this era, I feel like this was more common. You watch a lot of movies in the late 90s early arts. There was just a lot of huge pop songs that were incorporated into the movies. And even like reference the same way she references some lyrics from these songs. I feel like now, I don't know if like the record labels have gotten smarter and it's just too expensive to license, but you don't see that as much now. Can I pause it? That's like the MTV effect. I think that like music. Last era of MTV. Yeah. Music was seen as like a music videos were seen as such a powerful vehicle. And like, you know, they used to get like the movie edit with the song or whatever. Like for me, the definition of this is secret card in my Bruce Springsteen because that version was like the movie talking. What's your required? So this break is a break up. Like that's in the middle of the song. And so I think that there was actually a lot more commercial value to be had for the music by being in the movies. And like you could go back and buy the records and give it a second life when you couldn't just get the song on Spotify right away, essentially. So it actually was like smart for some of these songs. Well, my beloved a lot like love has one of the best soundtracks of that entire decade. And it's more new stuff. Yeah. Um, but it's got that what sets on the I never fell in love. Oh, oh, oh, I forget that one is exactly what you mean. You know that song. It's like three different points of the movie they played. Right. Also happening in this time is the O's brighter than sunshine. Oh, yeah. Well, also happening on this time at this time on TV is the OC and the OC had the power to like break a band. Like death cab became big. Oh, yeah. The year before. So I think there was just like in this exact moment, it was kind of short-lived TV and movies could make a difference in music. That was a big thing for Josh Schwartz. Yeah. Because I think he always felt like nano to an O never totally leaned into that. There was a couple like they had the Sundays on once and of course. But for the most part, never really used like they had the peach pit after dark for years and never leaned into the music part and the OC that second year, he's been he had the walkman here to a whole bunch of amazing. Yeah, big ones during like a really good time for music too. Remember when the Jim Blossoms were on the boat for Steve Sanders's birthday on the I remember. A great Claire episode if I recall correctly. Well, that had Steve Sanders is 21st birthday when he was 38 in real life, one of the great moments ever. Steve kept waiting for 21. He's got like a receding hairline. So good. This movie was written by Kathy Jespa and Josh Goldsmith and directed by Gary Winnick, who is no longer with us. Thirty seven million dollar budget made 96 million. Roger Ebert not impressed two stars. He said Jennifer Garner is indeed a Charmer. But she's the victim of a charmless treatment in 13 going on 30. I gotta say Raj made some decent points. Okay. I'll see you around. He couldn't buy the world of the magazine office. It was one of his big things. You didn't understand why high-powered professionals don't seem to notice they're dealing with a 13 year old mine. Jenna's bright idea to redesign the magazine is so spectacular, bad that it's accepted. And there are so many emotional and sexual puzzles to adaptance around this should have been a musical. He liked Garner. I think that's why I got two stars out of him. Wesley Morris. Okay. A young whipper snapper at this point for the Boston Globe. Right. A contagious but dopey first star vehicle for TV's Jennifer Garner. The movie is tailor made for women who openly lust for dream houses, dream jobs and dream hubbies. Sounds like Juliet. Does the movie's hairline get what she wants? And do you feel good about it? Yes, and sort of. That is so Wesley. That is just the most. Wesley thing. If he has Wesley now, he would say this is one of his favorite movies the last 25 years. Yeah. Because I think that's what this this is he would love this movie. Like he would have been on this podcast if we asked them. So definitely. Maybe next time we do it, I think that review also like it is dopey, but that's one of the reasons why it's fun. Like movies and things can be dopey and you can love them. Like there's actually a lot of like joy in that and it doesn't have to be serious and like you can just have fun with it. And the movie encourages you to just go with it and be like, you know, Roger Ebert made some great points about the logic. That is correct. It doesn't really exactly make sense, but that's just part of the genre and you just sort of accept it as like table setting and move forward. I did agree with his point about the office in particular. I was like, is this the set from working girl? It looks very similar to like when they walk in and everything. It's like just so generic. It doesn't like draw you into that world, but that's okay. The magazine stuff isn't exactly nailed, but that's fine. What was the Netflix romcom when they basically was built after Grandland set it up? Yeah. When they had their version of Grandland and it was like the nicest office possible. I was so funny. Not like our office at all. It was very airy. Glen Powell had like beautiful light on him. That movie's pretty good. Yeah. Thanks Craig. They openly admitted they based it on I like that movie too. Well, that's a classic movie where you just never know. If your two lead actors have chemistry, it can go a long way. And one of them has really taken off and one is Zoe Doich. By the way, Zoe Doich, I probably like in the last 10 years has probably made more romcoms that people have heard of than any other actress, right? Yeah, at least nine. I think all on the strength of set it up, like everyone's just like, wait, because that was a big hit. That was sort of a standout for Netflix. It was like 10 years ago already. And I think just like looking for the next one. I mean, Netflix hovers over all the conversations of romcoms because there are so many. And I like to watch all of them. Always be my maybe with Ali Wong is really good. Like some of them are great. And, but it's just sort of like, you know, in Amazon's doing a bunch of TV shows now too. Like they have seen the more YA stuff. Yeah, the tropes. And we haven't even talked about sterling point, but they've seized all of the tropes of these movies. And sometimes it works. And sometimes it doesn't. But like it just I support the strategy of like just throwing out a million and seeing what lands because they're all kind of fun. And once in a while, they are great. Like did you ever watch marry me on peacock with JLo and Owen Wilson? Who he's talking to? I love that movie. Am I the only one? Maybe. But like I'll watch all of them. And like sometimes they say, now there's another person love that movie. My wife, Carrie Simmons, that's how I watch it. She watched it multiple times. I'm using it. JLo is really good at singing in that movie. Her songs are great. So not only did she really like it. She was like, JLo's back. Yes, I felt the same way. Yeah, Netflix. Netflix in the last eight, nine years because their algorithm was obviously telling them people love romcoms and horror movies. And they just started cranking them out. And they're hit or miss, especially the romcoms. There's also like, there's the hallmark romcoms, like the holiday era once. Yeah, there's like, there's a bunch of them now. And then there's like letters to Isabelle. Yeah. Yeah. Like things like that. But I watch all of them. And then there's like that Zoe Seldana show on Netflix. I was pretty popular too. Like, I forget the name of it. I'll look it up in a second. But you know, these are, these are all like feel good moments. And sometimes they're good. And sometimes they're like actually high quality. And sometimes they're not. But like, I'm here for all of it. I said, I said, good strategy. You know what? Your algorithm probably likes is like these teen romcomy type movies, but somebody's either dying of cancer or have already died. And it's like, I have to bring my friends ashes to every, it feels like they've done every variation of those, right? Totally. My best friend from when I was growing up. She's either about to die or she already died. Or she's coming back. Or she dies during the movie. Or, or it's, it's man and it's like the high school quarterback. And he loses the word. They love those. Totally. It's kind of like the my girl
ification of teen movies because like that. It's very similar when my colleague Holgen dies. And the fall in my stars was huge. I loved that movie. It was a young Shaline Woodley. And that's a cancer movie. But yeah, that had a whole year or two for that one. 2009, 2010. I know she doesn't she gets after what she wants. I guess that's what we've learned recently. Shaline is in the Unibomba movie. You know, take down the Unibomba. And it's not Aaron Rogers. It's the actual Unibomba. Ted, Ted K. Yeah, I think about him often, the Unabomber.
I learned, you know, you learn about like something really bad at a young age. You never forget it. So that's the enabama for me. I mean, even the wolf arrow SNL sketches couldn't, I didn't try to help him not be creepy. Uh, all right. Most rewatchable scene. Okay. Have a bunch of them, including we'll start with the big party. Agendas where the six chicks show up. Sure. One of the great gimmicks. If you have a six chicks in high school or a version of that or no. Yes. So when I was in high school, there was a group that called themselves the a squad. And I was not in it. I was on, I was in the B team. So yes, they're the six chicks a squad because you're smart. You got along with them. You're along with everybody. Yeah, a squad that's so snottied like it does that. It's pretty incredible. It's like it, it's like so on the nose and it's like funny to tell people about. But yes, it was real with the Bronx high school of science. When I was in college state, the, the people that were like that, we were derisively called them BPs for beautiful people. And then some of them actually like kind of owned it and we're like, we're the BPs. And it's like, no, no, we're making fun of the fact that, yeah. Jenna, being mean to beaver hurts my feelings. Seven minutes of heaven, I think has been banned in 50 states now in 2026. Back then made sense. And she wants to be 30 and flirty and thriving. I think I was going to do this. What's the best I'll do it now. Tom Tom becoming Judy Greer, one of the best team to adult casting of two different people that I can remember. Interesting. You know, Judy Greer doesn't agree with that. Like I guess people brought that up with her frequently. And she was like, I think that girl looks like her. I know. No, I do. Judy Greer would like never acknowledge it, which is sort of funny. Oh, maybe she doesn't like it. I think the Jennifer Garner team is, well, it looks just like her. I thought she's great for casting. I think she looks like Hillary Swank, that young woman. But I couldn't agree more. All I say is that I respectfully disagree. Oh, it's pretty good. I mean, on the scale of, you can be way off with stuff like that. I thought it was pretty solid. Well, especially they set up the nose job thing later. So I got, yeah, I guess. Yeah, but all I saw was Hillary Swank. And that just, well, we almost saw Hillary Swank in this movie. She's in the casting what is crazy. This one is Jenna wakes up and she's 30. The cell phone thing is really funny. It's like the perfect time in order to be like, what's that noise? Not knowing what a cell phone is. The whole like checking out her body waking up with the hockey player. And then Lucy, I'm generating big time magazine editor. They go into the office. That whole part's great. It's great. Yes, I love that scene. I think that's also like when Jenner, it's almost like Jennifer Garner's like mission statement. She nails the physical aspect of it and the facial expression so well. I think it recalls Tom Hanks and big a lot. Like you, it's impossible to not think about when he first wakes up to. And it's kind of like reassuring. Like, oh, she can do this movie. Like it's going to be good. By the way, she looks great. She's beautiful. I think she still looks great. Great outfit. Yeah. Yeah. That gets into the office for the M&M blah, blah, blah. And she's like cleaner peanut has no idea. I'm an M&M. That was so funny. Next scene, she goes see Ruffalo. When he's like doing his Ruffalo out of the side as well. We're not friends anymore, Jenna. Yeah. That whole part's really interesting. How I like these are where you really have to suspend belief with movies like this because your reaction to this in real life would be you've taken fentanyl. Well, he said that. Did you go into cat? Did you go into K-Hall? He said that. He did mushrooms like this woman's lost her mind. Call the police. I know. She's like, I used to be 13 and now I'm here. It's like, what's going on? What drugs did you do? But he doesn't have that reaction. Yeah, it's like covered in one one line. She's like, I can't remember anything that happened. So he just like lets her start looking at materials and like doesn't kick her out. I guess you're supposed to think that he's attracted to her right away. So he left. She was like, she might have amnesia and she looks fucking hot. I'm going to have to play this out and see where it goes. Then we get a dress up montage with Whitney Houston music. Heading into the elevator combo 13 year old. But this movie, you know, this is like where you're just following the romcom. You know, you're following the footsteps of the giants. And one of them is you have to have a dress up montage scene. So it was Whitney Houston. It was supposed to be lips like sugar back on the buddy man, which would have been great, but they couldn't get the licensing for it, which is crazy to me because they got 15 songs and spent millions of dollars. But somehow echo in the buddy man. We can't do it. They should take the money. They're like, I hate alias. No, thank you. Yeah, it shows terrible. Jenna saves the party with thriller, which is now an iconic romcom scene and an iconic dress. Yes, the dress is I think you take the floor. Just go. The dress is incredible. It is a modified Versace dress from like the year before. It's the green dress for the people don't remember. Yes, it's like sure. It's so funny that you say that. I'm like, how can people not know what I'm talking about? Yeah, the dress has such a long life. I think it's like a Halloween costume every year. I think it's something people think about when they turn 30. And it has like the silhouette that moves really well when she's doing the dance. The funny thing about the dance. I just something she's very good at it. Like she's much better when she does love as a battlefield dancing on the bed later in the movie, but she looks like awkward and stiff and. It's better as the song goes along, but the first minute of it is really bad. And then Ruffalo is just putting a stamp on it for two minutes. It's like he's like hurt himself and he's like dragging his foot along. Gollum comes in and he's banging it out though. Gollum is ready to party. But yeah, the dress is amazing. And of course, it's like punctuated by her grabbing her boobs and saying, because I have these incredible boobs to fill it out. Like, yeah, it's such a gleeful moment. And I think that like, you know, a lot of people, particularly women, can relate to like putting on something that makes you feel so good. That you just like want to live in the moment to experience like that greatness. And it's very sweet. It's like, it is literally aspirational, which is why it works so well. It's like you want to find a dress like that. That's like, if it's you perfectly, that makes you feel like a million bucks. And it's, it just works. Craig, does Michael Jackson have too much baggage now where a scene like this and people busting out thriller would be more complicated or do people not care from your generation? I don't think it's a Michael Jackson problem. The, to me, the craziest part was that like, is, was the song, was the dance really so popular that? Yes. In 2004, you could expect that anyone in a room knew the entire dance? Kind of yes. Wow. Because the video was like the probably the biggest video of all time. And everybody imitated it. So I loved, I loved that it wasn't that Mark Ruffalo didn't know the dance and was embarrassed. He's like, well, obviously I know the dance. It's thriller, but I don't want to do it. I just love that anyone at this party, if you pointed at them, they were like, yeah, I know the thriller dance from beginning to end. I mean, it ended up for me. Isn't that kind of back with TikTok dances? Like, yeah, I spent a long time watching everyone doing that baby doll, Jamie Miller dance last night. I was sure. How does everyone know this song? Totally. It's just funny. It was like a two minute routine and everybody knew it. I was like, man, did people really know the whole thriller dance? Man, sometimes that happens. Wesley didn't like it. Wesley wrote, Shadow, Wesley's listening to this, having a great time right now. Watching Garner and the rest of the cast earnestly dance like ghouls, I cringed the way I might have had this happen at a party. I was actually attending. The amateurness is in cute. It's scary. Wesley, not a fan. Scary. Well, that's fish thriller. That's really, I love when Wesley makes up a word or like, you're like, is that really weird? He made that word up for sure, but like, that's another hallmark of Wesley's wonderful writing. I think this reminded me of like every bar mitzvah I've been to. And since she's supposed to be 13, it totally tracked. I was like, every bar mitzvah I've been to because I went to a bunch as a kid. And then way more than when my kids had friends that had bar mitzvah. I've somehow been in like 30 bar mitzvahs. Yeah, sort of like everyone knowing the cha cha slide. I it tracks. I thought it was, you know, it's, it's a famous scene. Also, um, there is just something like the mechanics of Michael Jackson. Are obviously like he defies mechanics or he did. And so then like seeing all these people like just like get up into the party and doing it is hilarious. I love when Arlene joins the secretary. That's my favorite moment. She's like so happy to be out there. So Arlene's coming up later. Okay. Like Arlene as well. We have the Liz Fair manches and to re montage into razzles and to the Brooklyn Bridge with them and whatever throwing that in. That's seems like a spot. Movies will go to. Oh, on the side of the East River. On the side with that shot, saturday fever was in there. 50 years of people shooting like right around in that area, because it's a good shot of the bridge in the background. What about Manhattan? I mean, that's the black and white shot. I mean, that's iconic. Love is a battlefield with the, uh, with the nice version of the six chicks, which he's explaining to the 13 or I actually like I could have gone one more scene with her just hanging with the 13 year old girl from dispensing advice. Like that was a really fun part. All right, Jenna, uh, two more. Okay. Jenna's class of 2004 pitch for the new magazine. Bravo. Bravo. That's most rewatchable for you. I've got some notes. I wanted to bring that up later. No, it's rewatchable because it's probably the worst publishing idea of all time. I think you're immediately. This goes beyond nitpicks. This is you're just immediately fired. People are like, the fuck are you doing? The material supposed to be a glossy magazine that people aspire to. We're going to give them a high school yearbook. You're fired. It didn't even look well done. The material she presented were so poor. If I were Maddie, I'd be like, please don't include my work.
I don't want to be associated. You do not have the right to use my-- - Gollum's like, who is this photographer? It's like these are fucking basic iPhone photos. - It kind of looked like if like a five-year-old was trying to make their own J Crew catalog, this is what they would've been up with. - Which basically was, it was a 13-year-old. - But even worse, like someone with no skills. It's so bad. - And the irony is that Lucy's idea of like heroin chic, I was like, all right, this is pretty good. - Yeah, I get why-- - This is where coming out of the music scene in New York '04 and just kind of where things were going in general. I kind of liked it. - I know why she became editor in Chief of Sparkle. Good idea. - Craig, which idea did you like more? Jenna's or Lucy's for the magazine redesign? - I did immediately turn to Liz. And I was like, you know Lucy's idea is way better than Jenna's, right? Fashion suicide would play. Liz was upset. She loves this movie. She doesn't like to hear any criticisms. (laughing) - Liz, Liz loved the happiness, celebration. - Yes. - Nostalgia. Wow, is it a bad idea? - Liz loves Gollum. - My last one is just Jenna and Lucy have it out. And Jenna finds out that evil Jenna, who she was before she kind of woke up, was actually undermining Sparkle every month. Judy Greer's lights out in the scene. - Really good, yeah. - I might have told him something else too, but I just can't remember. - Are we supposed to think that she did and it got cut from the movie? Because later on, Jenna, when she shows up at Mark Ruffalo's house to stop the wedding, like it's my best friend's wedding. She says, well, I guess it is. She says, I don't know what she told you, but it's not true. So like, are you supposed to think there was something else? I think so, but. - I did not put the wedding scene in that. I didn't think that. I thought that scene could have been better. I do have some thoughts about it later, but those were all my rewatchable scenes. So what you're, oh, I skipped one, accidentally. After Thriller, the sad Vienna scene. - Hmm. - What a classic. - I'm saving Vienna for later. I mean. - Yeah, I have a part for later too. Here's what Billy Joel said though about Vienna. Actually, I'll save this part too. All right, we'll save Vienna. I have a whole separate part for this. - I mean, it's deserved it. It's Vienna. - What do you have for your most rewatchable scene? I can't wait. - My most rewatchable scene is the first scene when she wakes up in the apartment. The umbrella gag is really important to me when she sticks it. So she doesn't see his penis anymore. - Right. - There's an underwear like in all of the physical comedy. I just feel proud as a Jennifer Garner fan in that moment. And it's just very funny. It's really well done. And then this, like the slip that she's wearing and then putting on the jacket is so famous that it's like, and that's even more than the dress for me. That's like the defining look of the movie. So it's definitely that. I think you're right. I think basically from the closet all the way through when she gets to work. The first 25 minutes of this movie are excellent. - Yeah, they're really good. Really, really good. - What's the most 2004 thing about this movie? - So many. - And the name's on the phone. He wants a decision now. That slip dress is a little 1997. Rolled that one down. Being surprised by a cell phone ring. What else do you have? - I have, when she first gets to work, you can see some of the like previous issues of both sparkle and poise. And so the cover star is also included Courtney Cox and Marissa Tome. - Oh. - Those were pretty good. I thought Courtney Cox in particular, very 2004. There's the Jenna's office wall. She has a picture of her with like a lot of people. Like the Madonna's signed one. She has a picture of her and Rudy Giuliani. Oh, very, very funny. I had the flip on. - That's a good one. Back when it was okay to have a picture of the Rudy Giuliani. It wasn't like for humor or like having to ask a lot of questions. It was just like, this was the mayor during 9/11. The flip phone was a big one for me too. It's like, especially because I think colored phones, like a colored screen came in like 2002, 2003. So they were really kind of coming into their own. And then for me, the repeated use of Liz Faire's, why can't I? I mean, that is an early Aught's song. And to use it two times, it's like, it wasn't a deep cut at the time. It was just Liz Faire. And so I don't think that resonates in the same way. And it really brought me back. - My only other one, this was my winner. Garner's performance earned her nominations from both the MTV movie awards and the Teen Choice Awards. Like there was a three-year vortex where that could have happened. But I think you're right with Liz Faire. The Floyd Gondale butter in my ass award and lollipops in my mouth award for something I just enjoy. I'll go first. - Okay. - I love rom-com bitches. - You like a bitchy lady. - There's just a certain level it goes to. And it's never like really, really like catastrophically mean. But more mean where you're like, oh. And we all know people who are probably watered down versions of the rom-com bitches. You know, there's always somebody at work or somebody that, you know, your friend is friends with or your wife or girlfriends friends with. But there's variations of them. And you can see the seeds. So when I see Lucy, it's like, oh, I know, I know Lucy's. But rom-com bitches are great. - They are because they have to turn it up a little bit. It can't just be like subtle. They have to be really clearly. Yeah, it's great. I think Sigourney Weber is a really good example of that and working girl. - Great example. - She's like a great character. And like if that was actually your boss, you would want to die. - Right. - That's a good one. I mean, Judy Garner's movie is great. And like, she's on a sale ball. She really like makes it a better movie. So I get it. It's a great one. - She said she might have been on the right side of history, too. - Well, even Jenna is just undermining the entire magazine. The sparkle. - I do also think that like you can't understand what a bad person Jenna was without Lucy. 'Cause like if they're best friends, like Colin and the dynamic duo at the beginning, clearly like she has become a Lucy. - Well, Lucy's Darth Vader, basically. She sucks her to the dark side from the moment that it's great birthday party. - It's true. Turning 13 is such a big deal. I mean, yeah. - Bring some of the six chicks, like just changes her life for the worse. - Don't you think Jenna Rink probably would've had a bot mitzvah? Just throwing it out of that there. Living in New Jersey. She seems like a Jewish. - So you think Jenna Rink definitely Jewish? - I think so. She's courting me right now. - Jenna Rink. - Yeah. - That's a Jewish name though. - Well, as a Jew, I think it is. - Well, you're more qualified to rule on this than me. I'm just, I'm just here as your supporting cabinet. - Jenna Rink. - Yeah, just think about it. You know, people can let us know. - You have the parents seem Jewish enough to you? - Kathy Baker, I don't think so. No, but I do love Kathy Baker. Did you watch "Pick Advances?" - Well, I mean, she was the hooker in "Streetsmart," so that's why I knew Kathy Baker. - Okay. - What's going on with the pilot of you and Adam Friedland doing Jewish stuff? Have we filmed that yet or no? - It's still just in our text messages. We haven't gotten there yet, but it would lessen-- - I still feel like we do an eight episode test drive. I'm interested. - He's available. - He's nearby. We're both in New York. Okay. The thing that I just like, Jennifer Garner's hairstyles are so funny in this movie when they do so much for the character and like chopsticks in the hair. I don't think that would be like acceptable in a movie in this era, like after Gwen Stefani. But it's so funny and the way that they show her character, like evolving from having just woken up to like realizing she's a bad person with like the very like elaborate hairstyle so it just being down and like no makeup on. It's so well done. It's also just so like feminine. It adds a real touch of like Jennifer Garner's like feeling all over the movie and I just like love it. And when I laughed myself when I watched it. - Hmm. We'll take one more break and then we'll get over what's changed the best? What's changed the best? Obviously, unquestionably, it is all of the J-Lo covers in a movie with Jennifer Garner right as J-Lo is about to break up with Ben Affleck who Jennifer Garner is about to start dating. - It's incredible. - It's the whole movie. J-Lo is just, there's one part near the end where she's in front looking good outside with a J-Lo cover in the back and it's like, I'm gonna go get Ben Affleck now. That you can do a super cut of her just ending up with Ben Affleck just through scenes of this movie. - It is so funny because in the movie, which came out in the spring of 2004, she at the end, one of the final montage scenes, she goes to the new stand and she takes down all the covers of Sparkle. There's three of them that are being helped with the binder clip and J-Lo is on the cover and then she hides them and you just couldn't script that better because then five months later, a game one of the World Series, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck make their debut at the Boston Red Sox. - As did I. We were all in Fenway Park together. 11 and 9 over the Cardinals. - And then it's just, it's crazy. Like, yeah, you gotta discuss that. You know, it's just, this is the thing. - I gotta say, as you know, I love Affleck and I'll fight for Affleck and Damon forever. - Me too. - Very important next girlfriend choice because the J-Lo thing did not go over great with the fan base being that she was from the Bronx. - Right, that's true. - And was unabashedly Yankee fan and that was just really weird. So then they break up, he shows up symbolically game one, oh, four World Series with his new girlfriend, Jennifer Garner is a 100% approval rating just to win all the way around. It was like, we've got him back. He's back in the fold, Ben Affleck. Come back to us. - It's kind of like a Nick Hornby moment.
That's the kind of thing that would be in a Nick Hornby book. Where it's like, he's back by showing up at his favorite stadium with a girlfriend. You can all approve of. I wanted to walk over to him during the game ago. Ben, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. Just give him a big hug. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It is not your fault. More with Sage the best, the six chicks just as a gimmick and just a group of mean girls in a romcom has a 100% success rate. I don't think it's ever not worked. Yeah, because everyone can relate to that. Like you, everyone knows that group from some point in their life. And also having a really good name is important. So six chicks is great. And especially because it allows Maddie to say you can't be in it. There's only six of them. Like it's just, it works out really well. They show up with shitty looks in their face. They're all kind of dressed the same. They have the different looks. There's always one tall one in the back. And then Craig buckle up because you probably didn't research this. Oh, you're going to say, you can just say Brelarson. Brelarson, he didn't research it. I just, I recognized her Ashley Benson. Yeah, she Benson from a pretty little liar. So she'll not watch. But Brelarson, I am familiar with her career. She's, she's on the far right as a crappy look on her face. And then in the yearbook photos, when Jenna has ascended as a six chick, it seems like Brelarson got bumped out. So I don't know. What do you think though? What do you think the mechanics of that one was Juliet? And maybe like where you get to stand in the row is like how close you are to the center of power. And she was obviously on the periphery. So she got pushed out. And maybe a little too cute for Tom, Tom, Tom had to became a zero sum game. Had to get a great point. Get Jenna in there. We also get the plastics a week later. Mean girls came out a week after this one. So you have the six chicks and then the plastics seven days apart. You know, I'm glad you brought that up, Craig. I think that hurt this movie a little bit because Mean Girls was such a good high school movie. And it was right after and it became more of a thing. And I don't think it gave 13 going on 30 of the stage, the runway that it needed. You know what I mean? More would say it's the best for me. I thought the mom daughter casting of Kathy Baker with the 13 year old who becomes Jennifer Garner was really good. Like they actually like look like their mother and daughter. And I like the mom in general. I like the I know I made a lot of mistakes, but I don't regret making any of them. Good high school yearbook quote. I thought the mom was just great in this movie. Nice even killed. The next door neighbor gimmick in rom coms. I just enjoy in general when when somebody like anyway, I ran a grand day. Thank you next. Yes. I'm less familiar with this one. Okay. But apparently big homage in that video to this movie. The fight thing is also a big homage to mean girls in that video and a couple of other movies. But yes, she has she's carrying the dream house in that video. And it's a great video and a great song. Billy Joel. I have as of what stage of best. This is always fun when movies do this. As Jenna softens during the movie, the production team adjusted her wardrobe and gave her warmer colors, but Lucy becomes ruthless and her fashion sense goes the other way and goes darker. It's always like subtle shit. I would never think of as a watching movie. The wardrobe in this movie is really, really well done. And Jennifer Garner has worked with the costume designer like 10 times since this movie. Yeah. She's named Susie. The green thriller dress we mentioned ended up in a costume warehouse. And Garner said she always gets asked where it is. Apparently it was on sex in the city on an extra during a scene in a theater. And that's the last time it's been seen. It looked pretty different on that extra. I saw the scene and it doesn't have like the cut out. Doesn't have the cut out. And it's just like you wouldn't realize it was the same. It's actually like someone watching really closely. Must have pointed it out because it doesn't doesn't even feel like the same dress. I have three more quick ones and I'll save my last one for last. Then we'll go to you. Billy Joel, I think in the mid 2000s on has aged incredibly. Yeah, 1987 mixed tapes was right around the first era of mixed tapes. I think they did a good job with that. And then Matt's girlfriend. Really attractive. Anker woman. Yeah, Chicago. I got to say sounds like a dream girlfriend. I don't know what Matt was thinking. Well, she didn't agree. It's fine. She denigrated commuter couple. I've never heard of that before. Commuter couple in the first year of marriage. I just not a term I knew but I like it. I'm going to start using it. She denigrated his work when she said you could take pictures of vitamin bottles from Chicago. So that wasn't so nice. Yeah, that wasn't nice, I guess. She was really attractive. Yeah, she's she's great. Also, Chicago, a great city. You know, I support it. I could see him fitting in in Chicago. All right, I have one more. But you go, what do you have for what's actually best? Okay, I have a few. The topic of wardrobe Mark Ruffalo. Like everywhere he dresses is like so popular now. And also like kind of never went out of style for men. And he's wearing like the Adidas, the CBGB shirt, with his pants fit. Like everything about his style really works. I also noticed he has like a pendant light over his dining room table and his apartment. That's also still very in. So I was impressed by that. I think that they nailed luxury really well. Like at the beginning when the guy at Poise turns to Jenna and goes two words. St. Barts. Like St. Barts is still aspirational. And like still where someone like that was right there. Yeah, that's a good one. That's really also at the end. Jenna's parents were like, it was something with the San Ysidro ranch. And her dad's like San Ysidro. And I'm like, yes, that remains quite luxurious. So like, I think those have lasted. And of course, I noted them. I think that New York City, like they chose shots of New York that have not aged. Like I was looking at the various addresses. Like it's like 444 Madison. It's 61 fifth. Like those all look as good as they did then now. And like won't change because they're like landmark buildings. And they also didn't pick any part of New York that felt gimmicky. Like for example, and big F.A.O. Schwartz has gone. They also, it's right after 9/11, but they didn't even like touch anywhere too far downtown. They have a scene on the street in Tribeca that looked like it could have been a Whitelman movie or it could be today. Like it just, they nailed New York. And they had a very limited time there, but they just picked really good exteriors that it worked really well. So I had that as my Dena Thieves Benihano word for scene stealing location. Happy, sunny, crime-free, 9/11 never happened New York. Totally. And this is filmed two, you know, a year and a half after 9/11. It never acknowledges it. It just moves forward. And it's like, look how great New York is. And then I think it's one of the reasons this movie is sustained. Definitely. It's like sunny. It makes you feel good, like you said. Also, you just think like the, you mentioned it, but the pink slip dress is so, like, so, so good. People would wear that now. Yeah. That's my list. My last one is, you know, I love real estate. Sixty one, fifth ab, seventh C. Greenwich Village, did some recon on it. Probably 55K a month to rent from there now. Definitely. Yes. That's like, really nice. There's a couple good wide shots. If you Google, it's a 10-story building, perfect location, Greenwich Village. And it's where, like, celebrities are living in that place. I was just walking around there last week, like, very close to there. And I saw Alec Baldwin on the street. So yes, they are. He and Hilaria were just leaving work best. Hmm, Hilaria. How's she doing? Was she good? She seemed like she was thriving. Her hair was, like, very voluminous. Good update. Great shot, Gordon Award for most cinematic shot. That shot of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background that so many people have gone for it. But in that, that, I don't know. I've just seen it many times. It always works for me. Yeah, it was great. They kind of do both sides. At the beginning, they're eating the razzles, like, walking, and that's on the Manhattan side. And then when they go to the playground, that's on the Brooklyn side. And it looks great both times. It's very beautiful. Chess Rock World Brocklander is a word for best character names. It's got to be the six chicks. Oh, okay. What did you have? Well, I just thought we need to talk about Matt Flamhouse. That's like an awful, weird name. And it's so awful and weird. Like, that it sounds good. Yeah. So I'm like, okay, sure. Yeah, I could see that being like a dorky guy. It doesn't fit for Mark Ruffalo, but it fits for like the child actor. So handsome handsome guy with a dorky name. Yeah. Signifying that he might have been a dork way back when. It's just like a not a name you'd want to say. Like if you were 13 and you're talking about your boyfriend, like your mom would be like, Flamhouse? Like, what kind of name is that? So it's not. It's just a funny, funny choice. Take 200 burger or wear a best piece of food or drink. Obviously, razzles. I think throwing the shrimp at the party. It's a really good touch and really funny. Okay. That worked better for me. Kit Katty pursued a happiness word for best needle drop. So, and I'm writing this down as I'm watching the movie. It's like, go goes, head over heels. We get this twice. That's got to be the winner. No, it's definitely thriller. Iconic movie scene. Then Vienna kicks in and it's like, oh, it's Vienna. That's the winner. Yeah, it's so amazing. It's such an incredible song and it use it. I can't think of many other movies that use Billy Joel's voice over a sad montage that way. It's so well done. It's beautiful. Also includes a train scene. Who doesn't love a train scene? Train scenes work 100% of the time. Great shot of the character looking sadly at the window. Things are moving. Everyone can identify with it. Was there a better title for this movie? I don't think so. Well, in Australia, it was called. suddenly 30 and then like in every other country, they translated it in like a way that was suddenly 30 because apparently they didn't think 13 going on 30 would track for other cultures and I'm just like do people not have the sound of music in other countries because I am 16 going on 17 is pretty similar to 13 going on 30. So I was confused by that, but that is the individual name or that's the Australian name cranky like suddenly 30. No, I think 13 going on 30 is a better title. Suddenly 30 is pretty good. I like suddenly 30. I also just think of it. If you're starting over 30 and 30 and thriving. I mean, that's the line of the movie. So that's probably the porn parody of this. Julia, you have a flex category. I would like to do the Vincent Chase award. I'll be sure this character was actually good at her job. Oh, because I just have a lot of questions. So I hope you're talking about Jenna. I'm talking about Jenna, but I'm also talking about her boss and the circus slash column column. The way that he was so excited about the presentation. I have to wonder. I have to wonder part of their problem is not just that she's giving away their ideas, but that he has terrible taste. Yeah, obviously. If he had better taste, he wouldn't have liked that presentation. And I think that he just I'm worried about his judgment. He didn't see also don't have a poise party and invite the editor and chief from sparkle. That was the fuck out. Why is he even there? That was really weird. And then with Jenna, if you are committing some, you know, like IP theft or you're committing any kind of crime. Do you keep evidence in your guess? No, I've been picking nets. You're you're ripping that shit up at seven o'clock on a Wednesday night. And like, why is there so much like paper trail involved in this? Just make a phone call. Like I don't understand. So I just am worried that both of these people are not actually good at their jobs, despite the fact that he's an editor and chief and she's a rising star. I think it's a great call. And I don't think they were good at their jobs. That's why poise was in trouble, which is girlfriend of word for week link of the film. So She goes back. She's in the closet again. She's 13 again, but she has the wealth of eight days of experience of being 30 that she can now use going forward to basically reshape the next 17 years. But still ends up with Matt. Like if you redo all this, maybe Matt's life is completely different. Like we just go into the fucking twilight zone. It doesn't track it. That's a problem. There's no way to have a memory of it or no, because in big the kid has no memory of anything. He just shows up back home and doesn't remember anything that happened. I think she does have memory of it, though, because she does. Yeah, she does. I think so. There's a line that indicates that she remembers because and also like the way that she rips up the paper when Tom Tom comes back and everything. suggests that she's, you know, no longer interested in becoming so she spent her high school life trying to destroy Tom Tom basically and be queen B. Yeah, but also trying not to be a bad person. Yeah, I think so. She's like kinder, but I guess like she's like killing with kindness. I don't see that working in high school, but you know, maybe. And she's like, I'm just going to stretch it out here with Matt, because I know in 17 years he's going to look like Mark Ruffalo. Yeah, I know we're headed. He's going to be a really talented photographer. Yeah, okay. She's just writing it out. What stage of words Jenna hits on a 13 year old boy and asked for the ketchup. I can't believe the scenes in the movie. Yeah, it's a it's a really tough one. Oh, it's a tough one. It's really uncomfortable to watch. You're just like, no, this isn't working. And it is a little bit weird. The way she talks to the girl in the elevator, but obviously since it's not like sexual. It's fine. But all of the like 30 year old talking to 13 year old as herself. It's sort of the inverse of the big relationship. Oh, wow. I feel like that joke really landed for me. I thought it was a great punchline. Like to be honest, and they're like, oh, that guy's really into you. She's like really him. He's cute. And she walks past the adult to the 13 year old. That's a great punchline. I'm fine. It's a joke. It's fine. What was what was this take on that? She agrees. That was cute and funny. Come on. All right. Okay. Sure. I think that's getting cut now. Well, maybe. I mean, it would be worse if the genders were swapped. But I think the older woman talking to the teenage boys, like not a huge deal. Well, the funny thing about it though, it's like the sexiest she looks in the movie is in that scene. Like in that black dress, like her hair out. They like, it's like they really turn up her sex appeal. That scene. So it's the bigger issue. That scene is her friend is going. There's some hottie checking you out. And it's just some that guy who's not a hottie. In the light. Also, their actor must call. Judy Greer would have taken Jenna to the insane asylum after that moment. Like there's no way she would have allowed her to just continue existing as a human. No question. Seven minutes in heaven. Hmm. That's gone. Feels like a long New Yorker piece about terrible things that happened during seven minutes. I have an I don't know. I don't. Maybe it's consensual. What about consensual or just in the closet for seven minutes seems better than like doing drugs. I don't know. What did Matt call it? Seven minutes of seven minutes of rapist or something else. I guess he was ahead of his time. There's no email or internet in this movie, even though it's 2004. Come on. Right. Yeah. Like Jenna could be emailing her. Where was the idea of her being like, what is this? I can send a note and somebody gets it. Like, I don't know. That's an easy one. I had a problem with all the hockey stuff. Well, I would yeah, the hockey stuff. Yes, it's really bad. I mean, it's pretty much an insult to hockey players to seem so incredibly lame, goofy, have no muscle tone and no self awareness. It's just like really bad. So this guy, first of all, the 2004 New York Rangers won 27 and 40. Okay. They were exactly light in the city on fire that year. So we'll start there. Um, the guy who plays Alex Carlson, we've all known hockey players in high school in college. Maybe even you'd know a couple pros. They don't act like Alex Carlson. They're all kind of like stoic and cool. Yeah, they do not have personality across the board. There's no like your garyous hockey player. They're all like, hey, you just got to go out there and do our thing. So I don't know where this guy came from. I mean, the goofy strip T is that's an that's an idea. That's really tough. Like just we're seeing in the movie. I have as well. Jenna's apartment is nice as it was. I didn't like some of the decor that the kitchen cabinets look cheap. It dead. Yeah. Still only 30 sheep. Yeah, only 30. And then my last one was she's not curious enough about 2004 and they missed the easiest Michael Jackson joke possible. Where they show her like, here's our Michael Jackson cover and she's like, who's that? Like they. It's just sitting there. She hasn't seen Michael Jackson in 17 years. That's a great point. I missed that one. So they missed a couple like, wait, that's that down. And they just it's like a scene missing almost. Yeah, like she doesn't have like Will Ferrell and Elf when he gets to New York. And he's like, what is this? Like there could have been a few more a few more of those. Yeah, I think also the second Tracy from the art department's husband when he comes in and like tries to say like we rather to feel draws drawers last week. Yeah, that was weird. That was really bad. That was like in a different movie. I was like, who is this person? And that just like stuck out. Just trying to show that she's an awful person. Yeah, I guess. And she's like, yes, it just like didn't work though. And it's just weird. And didn't didn't care for that guy. I also thought they're like making fun of plastic surgery. At one point, um, Mark Ruffalo character like refers to the plastic surgery movement. As if it's something that's like happened and is over and just wait, Mark Ruffalo. I saw it. I was just like, that's Dan. That didn't quite work. And it's like, I don't know. Just again look at different plane or something. Didn't work, right? Ruffalo Hannah, Rubin and Partridge overacting word. It's got to be this strip tease with the New York Ranger, right? Yeah, or it's so bad. Or the guy coming into her office and trying to make out her so both really bad. Anything sexual in this movie is not well done. Like it's a very like neutered movie. And they shouldn't have even tried this. The strip tease is terrible. Yeah, big was able to somehow pull it off. I think as of the gender switch, but also they just panty marshals directing in. I just they did a better job with it. What do you have for the CR? Thanks, Luke Wilson could have been Harrison Ford. How does take a word? My hottest take about this movie is it is not a romcom. It's a teen movie. Interesting. Okay. Because first of all, they don't end up together in like the main timeline that we're in. It requires time travel for them to end up together. And ultimately the character of Jenna is 13 like everything about like her perspective of the movie is from a 13 year old and it actually is really well done. But as a result, there's not this like professional woman who's like somehow wayward finding, you know, back to finding this guy who like changes things for her. And there's there's no like threat to their relationship that they have to overcome in the course of the movie that evolves like everything. All the cards are on the table. He has a fiance. She's actually 13. And so it's really about a teenager like realizing who they want to be. It's in like the couple itself is like you're happy that Jenna got a happy ending, but really the moral of the story has like be a nice person in your life will be better. So I think that since the romance is so secondary to everything that Jennifer Garner is doing as Jenna. That's not really a romcom. It's a non-sexual don't movie that's actually a teen movie. Yeah, exactly. Not even sure that's the hottest take. You might just be right. Thank you. Thank you so much. Mine is for almost 30 years from 1977 to 2004. Veno was the single most underrated great pop song we had. And I still think it's one of the best pop songs of all time. I would put it with Wonderwall.
And hey Jude, and I will always love you. Pick a song. I think it's perfect start to finish. It's perfectly sung. The lyrics are amazing. And for whatever reason, it took everybody 28 years to figure out how to put this in a fucking movie. And it turned out to be this weird Jennifer Garner movie. And they fucking nailed it. And it was just sitting there for anybody for two and a half decades. And nobody unlocked it. - It's so good. It is such a great song. It's I think it's his best song. And he even says he thinks it's one of his two best. And he said he attributes its popularity of the film adding. That's a movie that was so popular with girls and girls are mostly enthusiasm for where that song comes. It's a coming of age song. Slow down, you crazy child. So I guess it resonates with younger people. As a lifelong Billy Joel fan, that song was awesome the whole fucking time. And Vienna and Summer at Highland, Summer at Highland Falls were his two great songs that for some reason weren't as popular as like 12 other Billy Joel songs and I never understood it. So they finally unlocked it. - It's a great song. It completely grew with you. I love the piano and it which is obviously like his signature but like it really stands out. It's so beautiful. The funny thing is I became a really big fan of the song within like the last like 10 years because my Spotify algorithm has pushed on me so hard. And willingly, I'm like happy to be here. Like I love it. I knew it from the movie mainly. But I don't think it has like a, it's like a niche song. It's like a beside, even though it's so great. I know it's a great, great, great song. And it's the scene in the movie is unlike any other scene. It's like 'cause it's a different type of song than the rest of the soundtrack. Like it just really sets it off. It's really beautiful. - I have another personal connection with the song. - Okay. - Where my daughter was 10 in fifth grade and her class everybody got to do some sort of talent show thing for a minute. And she sang Vienna and she fucking crushed it. And it was like one of my parents highlights of my life. - That's amazing. - Totally remember that when that happened, actually. - Yeah, it was her voice was like perfect 10 year old voice. Like probably like the peak of what her voice was. And she just crushed the song. But nobody knew the song. So all the parents were like, I love that song. And they were all fired up about it. - That's great. - Casting What Ifs, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hillary Swank, Renee Zellweger. We're all backups of Jennifer Garner. Couldn't do this movie. I don't think any of those work. - Me neither. - Renee Zellweger is probably a little too old, I think. - I think mid 90s Renee Zellweger, I think it works. - Yeah, like Empire Records Renee Zellweger. - Yeah. - Yeah, plus she's like, you know, already been in Jerry McGuire, which is like weird. - Yeah, I don't see it. - Me neither. I do think that young Jenna looks like Hillary Swank, but I definitely don't see a Hillary Swank. And then, you know, funny enough, Gwyneth Paltrow did like the, the host, the flight attendant movie with Mark Ruffalo. So they got their swing together, but that movie was not good. - No. - Casting director said, if Ruffalo turned it down, Paul Rudd and Sam Rockwell were next on the list. And then- - Paul Rudd, I could definitely see in that role. He would be- - Young Matt, young Matt and young Jenna, they did the test audiences, hated them. They had to reshoot all of it with different actors and it worked better. - I don't think young Matt is that good, but- - Yeah, I was surprised to even know about them, considering I didn't feel like they landed in an incredible spot. - No. It's a word for best that guy. I think Kathy Baker is Kathy Baker, even though Craig would say, she's that lady, but it's clearly Gollum. - Yeah, I said that he's like so famous. He's been in so many movies over the last like 20 years, so- - So who'd you have then? - Mine is Kirsten Warren, who plays Trish, the editor-in-chief of Sparkle at the party. - The frizzy lady? - I was like, I know that voice, I know that voice. Saved by the bell, the college years. - Oh my God, that's a good one, I like that show. - Me too, I was like, I know her, I know her, I know her, and then I was like, what I'm doing. - That seems to win her, great call. - Yeah. - Deal, waiters a word. I can give you Young Tom Tom. I can give you the frizzy editor, Sparkle, who you just talked about. I can give you Chris Grundy driving the cab. - It's Grandi, come on. - Chris Grundy. - Respect him. - But it's clearly Arlene, the assistant. - It's Arlene. - Just taking home runs, left every scene crying at the end or in the worst pitch ever in a magazine. I loved Arlene, I don't know who that actress is, but great job by her. - I also love when Jennifer Griner's leaving the office, I think it's to go to the photo shoot and she goes to Arlene, aren't you coming? And Arlene's like so surprised, so happy to be included. - Yeah, I loved it, loved Arlene. - Recasting couch director city. I can give you Tim Curry as Gollum's part as the magazine editor, just passed away by the way. - That's a good Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds is Alex Carlson. - That's interesting. That's interesting. - Early in the career, like post vein wilder, little more famous would be fun to see him in this. - I'm just checking when their proposal came out. The proposal was in 2009. Yeah, I'm just thinking about him before that. And I guess he's like definitely maybe Ryan Reynolds at this point. - He's about to be Amityville Horror, make a bunch of bad movies in a row. - I'm always just thinking with Ryan Reynolds. I'm very anti-Ryan Reynolds having nothing to do with the recent stuff with Justin Baldroney. - You've never liked him. - No. - Ever since I've known you, you've always been out. - Yes, and I just don't, I think he works in the proposal because there's something sort of like sick of fantasy in it about him and that. We're like, you like his family so much. You let you buy it. You're like, yeah, she would want to join this family. But he's just not like likable. And I just feel like he would want Jenna's approval so much more than Maddie ends up wanting it. And as an adult, like. - Can I offer you Mark Paul Gossel, are they? - Wow. - Yeah. - He was the most important actor for me from like 1986 to 1992. Actually, when I was born 'til I was six. - Right, right around that, right age range. - That would be good. Yeah, I could see that, I could see that working. What about Scott Wolff? Scott Wolff would have been great. - Short. - Jennifer Grunner is tall, that is true. - Yeah, he's got to be at least two inches tall. - Okay. Okay, I always seem to say I think this movie works in almost any city. Even though I think they nail New York, I think you could move it to almost any city. - Chicago during the summer. - Yeah. - Boston easily. - I think even L.A. Like I really do. I think you can do this almost anywhere. - Safe Cisco in the 2000s. - Yeah. - Craig, you have a flex category. Are you gonna come on the Zoom for this or are you gonna stay anonymous? - I can come on the Zoom. - Oh, thanks, man. - I'm sure. (both laughing) - I was gonna do Lena Dunham running spawn ranch award most during casting for Andy Circus because I've just recently gotten into Lord of the Rings. I'm like, holy shit, that's smegle right in the office. But you guys hit that appropriately. - My precious. - Yeah. We used to have a category that I don't believe is in the flex list anymore called Best Hang Worset Hang. - Hmm. - Remember that? - Oh, that should be in there. That must have been accidentally deleted. - Say what you will about the actor and how good he is in it. But I think the character of young Maddie kind of a sneaky great hang. Like kind of an independent king, solo dancing to talking heads at the party was kind of awesome. Like he was just like, has great taste in music. He's a photographer. He's building, he's like woodworking. I love that he was like, I love that everybody else. - Everybody shit on him at this party. And he goes, I'm gonna go home and get my keyboard guitar. (both laughing) Like as a Maddie, he comes back and he's gonna play a song. I actually thought he was really likable and had a good personality for somebody who's supposed to be like a huge nerd. He seemed kind of fine to me, like a decent hang. 100% absolutely would've been friends with Matt in the 80s. - Yeah, totally. - I think he's a good dude. - That's Kenma. - Oh, that's good. - Have fast-centered research. Not a ton here except for the Christopher B. Allen played 13-year-old Jenna and then did it again and goes to girlfriend's past where she played Jennifer Garner's younger version. In seven minutes I have and you can see actual photos of Jennifer Garner's a child on the back of the door. And then there's a scene when Jenna breaks up with Alex Carlson, which was deleted. But you can find on the Blu-ray special features, which I'm sure you have. - Yes, I don't think I have that anymore. But I definitely had the DVD of this when I was in college. There's no doubt about that. - Apex Mountain. Jennifer Garner, I think is a yes. - Wow. - She's got, she's on Alias. This movie makes almost a hundred million dollars and she starts dating Ben Affleck. I think this is Apexy. - As an actress, I have to agree. Like I don't think her acting career has gotten bigger since then. Like it's sort of been like-- - She's more famous now. - Yeah. - But yeah, back then you would have said like, "Oh, she's gonna be Julie Roberts." - Yeah, I mean, it's funny 'cause we haven't mentioned the fact that she's been the capital one lady for a long time and she took once upon a farm public within the last year. Like she has all these other revenue streams. - Yeah. - But as an actress, because of what you talked about before, it's kind of like it became secondary in some ways. One movie a year or whatnot. So I guess I agree with you. - She's certainly richer now, or famous. - So maybe money making Jen Garner, maybe this wasn't Apex. - No, but I think her capital one money must be immense. I can't even imagine. - Everybody likes her, impeccable reputation. - I get why. I've watched a lot of like wacky Jen videos 'cause I like to have the reasoning for why I'm a fan. And she is so charming. And I did get to meet her once when I was doing this Felicity project and I interviewed her. And she was, there was no reason for her to say yes. Like there's no reason for her to do a lot of stuff. She did a lot of press around the 20th anniversary of this movie. And I was just kind of like, why? Like she always something that she could be promoting. But it seems like she was just like, yeah, sure. Me and Judy Greer will do an interview with Vogue, why not? So I think she's just like a great person. How many times can I say it? - Well, love it, Hollywood lady. Mark Ruffalo now. Razzles, and then she wanna say in there.
80s. But this that this was probably the most prominent razzles we've ever had. I only know about them from this movie. Yeah. So there you go. 2000s fake fashion magazines as TV or movie plots. It's top 2010s for this. I think that how to meet a guy in 10 days is sort of like the bigger magazine romcom. So on the list, by the way. Yeah. So I think that one probably would would be the apex bound for that. Like I think I was I was looking into this for the pod of all of like the women who have played like TV producers advertising execs or like journalists. And I think that the two biggest ones in my opinion are even men doesn't hitch which you guys just did and cannot send and how to lose a guy. So I think of those those two are bigger. Is this your resume to do the how to lose a guy in 10 days podcast because it's been on the list for a while. It is a Sacramento Kings New York Dx NBA finals. I just want to do the pod to talk about that for 10 minutes. I'm just happy to be here, Bill. Anytime you ask, I'll be here. So you, you let me know. Madonna's crazy for you. The answer is no. What is it? Because it's actually when it came out and it was on the vision quest soundtrack and has a really important moment in vision quest. And I feel like that was a huge song. And I don't think it needed this movie to become a big song. So I'm going to say mid 80s for that thriller's obviously mid 80s. Obviously. Sam Ball, the actor who played the hockey player, Alex Carlson, apex mountain. It's always a red flag when you look at the IMDB and he's had multiple names. There's the Samuel Ball stage for him that he was Sam Ball. And it's. That's got to be a sag thing, right? Like having to change some around. Yeah. Well, I hope to never see him again. Like no feds, but this. Don't worry. I don't think you had post that 11 feeling good about New York City again movies. It's in the running. Um, I think it's Spider-Man, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, the what's Toby McGuire. But those are up there too. Just because those are like, you know, like superhero movies in a way. Yeah. And like Spider-Man comes out in 2002. And it's such a beautiful view of New York. Um, and like finishing last 25th hour. Um, a great movie. Judy Greer, no. No, I think what's her apex mountain? That's a tough one. But I don't think it's this. I mean, I do think acting wise, it's the descendants. She's fantastic in that. Um, and that's, but it's tough. That's the thing. She, her career, there hasn't really, there wasn't like the moment. She was just though is Judy Greer reliable. She's not exactly a character actress, but she's just sort of like, she's like a second banana all the time. And she's never like the person you're showing up for, but you're always glad she's there. She's like the best person to have a party. You're hoping five day weekend. Season two, maybe a lot more Judy Greer in season two. She's called five star weekend, please. Five star weekend. And five day weekend. Well, that's yeah, they packed a lot in. Um, yeah, I hope Electra is back. She was great. Okay. But my third person that shows Regina Hall, carry on. She was great. Using an umbrella as self-defense. Yes. So great. Ramcom characters cruelly breaking up a wedding for their own self-interest. I could offer you my best friend's wedding. A lot like love or 13 going on 30 as three candidates unless there's another one I'm not thinking of. It has to be Julia Roberts. I mean, it's I think so. The whole premise of the movie. Yeah. And the purple dress. Yeah. She's basically an evil person in the movie. We've got it on the rewatch most. Yeah. That's like I start against my girl Cameron Diaz. She's so good. And that of course he chooses her. And then Vienna. The song. I think this was a Pex Mountain. It completely rejuvenated it. And it became it finally got the acclaim. It deserved for 27 years. Yeah. I agree with you. I mean, and I can't think of another movie that could use it this way. It's great. It's perfect. Cruiser Hanks. Hanks. Hanks for sure. Hanks is ruffle. Yeah. I didn't prep you for this category. Okay. 1977 Goldie Hahn 1991, Julia 2011 Emma Stone or 2026 Zendaya. I think it's Emma Stone of those. I think it's Emma Stone. Yeah. Emma Stone would have crushed this movie. She would have been great. And I think she has the physicality for that really important first scene. And she is like a similar Jennifer Grunner. She's like not attainable, but she can present in a movie as like a regular person in terms of her attractiveness. And I'll go one step further. Craig, give me your thoughts on this. Emma Stone. I think she plays herself as the 13 year old. I think she goes all in. She's like, I don't need a 13 year old. I can do it. I'm not going to be an actress. Yeah. Pays herself at 13 and 30. Nobody's done it in a body switch movie before. Yeah. You'll go slant the most can film it. Yeah. I think that would be good. Yeah. She uses like CGI or CGI. I think she get it done it. The David Caruso Stuffful Legends Award for character who definitely should have been spun off into their own sequel. I a Lucy sequel. I think could have been interesting. For sure. Lucy running Sparkle magazine and then has a new competitor and it's you know, Lindsay Lohan or whoever 05 would have worked. Yeah. I think that would have been great. There's way more, there's way more to that character. I'm still wondering why she's called Tom Tom. Like, you know, I've got a lot of questions. Yeah. Why is she called Tom Tom? I don't know. I'd love to find out. Tom Tom Cat. I guess. I have no idea. Picking it. I have a few. Oh my god. I mean, I'm going to turn the floor to you because I have so many. I'll turn the floor to you and then I'll mop up what you didn't get. I mean, the biggest one we already talked about is like, how does she live her life knowing that she had this alternate life that she then undone? Like they're that just like doesn't make any sense. You know, I have a lot of New York stuff. Like the address 61 Fifth Avenue is actually 11th street, but they frequently show 12th street. They you're going deep. Well, I looked at all the exteriors in New York. Also, she lives in the village and they're like, he's in the village and she goes, what's what's the village, but she's already in the village, right? Yeah. I mean, it just doesn't it doesn't really work. And like, of course, every New York movie, you have to wonder like, how could she get there so quickly and all of that. I was also wondering how Maddie just like doesn't really have any work. Like he doesn't seem like he actually does anything. His his girlfriend does refer to him like taking pictures of vitamin bottles, but as far as I can tell, he's actually unemployed and just kind of always home slash available. Yeah, he should have been talking a lot about fantasy football. He's in like three leagues. Yeah. And then the huge Nick's van or something. He needed some sort of hobby other than I'm an unemployed photographer who's kind of. Probably a huge pot head, I feel like what happened? Probably a huge pot head too. Like I smoking a lot of weed. Probably this might this might come up, but like he kind of sucks. Like he's sort of a loser. I'd say I feel like that's a rough little thing, but I enjoy it because I don't think he wants to be in this movie. It's true. But I do feel like his energy actually works for the movie because he doesn't want to be in the movie. Um, everything with making a magazine is totally devoid from reality. Like they could they could have made it a little bit more realistic. Like when Andy circus brings up the redesign and they're all like, that is a death sentence or like the R word. It's just kind of like actually that's not true. Yeah, yeah, they really do. It's like, you know, a relaunch and no way to get some attention. So I had a lot of issues with that. Um, and I also just thought that some of this stuff like in her apartment, like when she's going through her clothes and whatnot, like she just would have had so many more questions into your point. She could have like look some stuff up. Like she could have sat down at like that you've got male style giant computer. Yeah. Like then like just ask some questions essentially and that that really stuck out. I have a few really hardcore ones. Okay. Six chicks are dressed like it's 1985 and not 1987. Okay. I actually wanted to ask you about that specifically. I didn't have school in mid 80s. They're they're dressed like it's 85 87. The hair is starting to get bigger. We're big hair across the board. Nobody has the big hair. They're like more and like the first two years of Madonna era retro look and it's just not it's not accurate. Um, Jenna's dad's video camera. Hmm. Just didn't exist in 1987. Okay. I had video cameras from day one. They were super bulky. You needed a battery on the side. It was the camera attached to the thing to lug it around. It was like 50 pounds. Nobody had a camera like that 1987. Okay. Matt should have been way more dumbfounded and alarmed by how actually truly crazy Jenna was and it's just not hammered home enough. He's just going with it because she's hot and I just think there would have been more questions for her. So she she becomes an adult ghost. She starts throwing she's she basically litters all the time. Do 13 or else just litter. I know they're saying it's a sign of a maturity. But I'm positive. I didn't do that when I was 13. Like I'd eat a shrimp and just throw it over my shoulder. Who does that? Um, I'm embarrassed to say that I used to litter. I did. Okay. It's really a dark time in my in my past. I'm sorry. I didn't even have to admit to it. But I'm just trying to be honest with you here. I did use to litter. I regret it. I would never do it now. Craig's heart. Craig just left the zoom. Craig hates littering. I know it's wrong. It's really rude to the people around you. It's just it's just a terrible thing to do. Okay. Julie, it's pro littering. The parents would have redone the basement. At some point. Jenna's out of there for college.
in their 20s, like at some point you're redoing it, you're putting like a wine seller down there, like they obviously have some money because they go away for trips and stuff. I just don't think they're leaving the basement exactly the same 17 years later. You're doing something, you're doing some sort of remodel, you're putting a TV down there, you're not just leaving it intact. Jenna, Jenna, from the moment she becomes 30, just eats like crap for the entire movie. And you think they're setting up a scene where she's like, I can't fit in these jeans anymore and they just don't, they let it go. Oh, interesting. I think that's real. And candy and pizza and it just, it's just bouncing off her. Isn't that kind of like the freshman 15, like, I guess like you gain weight in college, but like you're, you're free for the first time and you're able to like eat whatever you want. Never happens in this movie. That's true. That's true. You mentioned evil Jenna. No way she keeps the letters to sparkle. Just, hey, they're in the top drawer of my desk in case anybody wants to go through and I'll get fired. Here's a big one. Well, two, my two biggest ones. The class of 2004 sparkle magazine ad is on the bus in 12 hours. Yes. They've stolen, they've stolen the ideas. She walks out of the office. It's on the bus already. This is the most miraculous ad campaign anyone's ever had. That did not make any sense. And he's like, it's already all everywhere overnight. That made no sense. Agreed. Like the bus ads are booked far in advance. This is my wife's biggest one. Okay. The fiance of Mark Ruffalo, this whole time, they're dating. They're about to get married. He's been keeping this dollhouse of Jenna in his closet. It's just tucked away in the top and then Jenna shows up and she's like, oh, who are you? And you know, you're going to be probably this woman's going to be on your radar. It's like, oh my God, this is the lady that my fiance made a fucking dollhouse of and then kept for the next 17 years. I'm on high alert. I've destroyed this lady. Nothing. Baths is off her. Yeah, keep it in your closet. Especially because he has a picture of Jenna in a bathtub in that dollhouse. It's like really weird. That's a good one. Craig, if Liz, you, you move in with Liz and you're like, yeah, top left show for the closet. She's going to have my dollhouse of this girl I was obsessed with when I was 13. Does Liz move out at that point? What happens? Yeah, she probably throws that thing off the balcony and smashes it. Yeah, that's the thing. You smash the dollhouse. Okay. It's me or the dollhouse. You're picking because Ruffalo's character is like all pretending that he's like, hey, Jenna, I moved on. That was 17 years ago. He didn't move on. I barely remember you. He's like, polishing off that dollhouse once a week. It's a big dollhouse. It's not like it's like this little tiny thing he shoved in the drawer. It's like taking up actual size. Just isn't the dollhouse at his parent's house though? Like it comes back in the final scene and he hands it to her and yeah, but he's not taking the fiance back to the parent's house. Yeah, I guess he's fine. It is in the parent's house, but why did he keep it? Well, the fiance's not going to go through his room. Well, we're led to that. Why are they getting married to his parent's house? I heard they went to the stand. He said, you're a ranch. So they can have a. That's another round of trope. Everybody gets married at somebody's house in a movie. I will say, meanwhile, I've never been to a wedding. I've been to 70 weddings. I've never been to a wedding at somebody's house. I've been to two home weddings. They're both in the Hamptons and home weddings are actually incredibly expensive. If you do it, like in the Hamptons, you have to bring everything in. All of like, you need to have like generators, catering, a floor put down. It's really it's a lot of crazy. If you've been to a home wedding, I've been to a backyard wedding. Yes. Well, a backyard wedding is more like what they had, but I'm just saying if he's going to stay in a Citroe, I think he can afford a wedding like at a hotel or something. So it's still weird if the dollhouse is at the parent's house. Like, I'm sorry, if they've thrown that out. If my parents were holding on to some dollhouse that I built a girl when I was 13 years old and Liz saw that. Yeah, that's 30 years old. That means they want you to get back together with that girl. Yeah. Also, they also say that she threw the dollhouse at him. Yeah. So it should have like broken. He must have fixed it. That's even weirder. Sequel prequel. I got to listen to her email suggesting a tweak here. Sequel prequel streamer, all black cast spin off remake or untouchable. No, we have six choices, seven choices for this. The answer is remake. Ironically, Netflix March 2026. This movie is on Netflix right now. Announce that they are doing a remake. It is directed by Brett Haley. It stars Emily Bader and Logan Lerman. I like Logan Lerman. I love Logan Lerman. Yeah, he's great. He's good. She was in a previous Netflix movie. The people we meet on vacation. Original cast members, Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer spotted doing cameos. I think Garner is a producer. She's an EP on it, I think. I'll give it a world. Of course. Yeah, me too. I'm interested. Logan Lerman is a good guy. It made 30% chance. That's good. 70% chance. It's disappointing. And a 100% chance my wife will watch it and love it with my daughter. So there you go. Yeah, I'll definitely give it a shot. And Jennifer Garner, like supporting it. That's a good sign. This I'm surprised was not the remake was not just a streamer. I mean, like a one season streamer show. Like I haven't already done it. You're saying? Yeah, the first episode is everything her in high school leading up to the body switch. The second episode she wakes up. You have that whole first season of her trying to figure out what to do when she's 30. It's kind of it's kind of weird. This didn't happen that way. I agree with that. I think the like the problem with the streamer romcoms, like why they're not as high quality is because there's not as much like time committed to the answering those questions. And so it would really change kind of the approach from all the show. The Amazon YA shows that they do. That's true. That's true. Those shows have gotten like more, this would need to be Ron cheer. We need to have like or like a real sexual aspect to it because those shows all have them whether it's like Roger or kind or whatever, but that's really missing from this movie that's present in those TV shows now. Craig, what do you think if they remade this, but when she turns 30, she becomes a male hockey player and then it becomes like heated rivalry. That's good. That plays now, you know? Yeah. I mean, it's now Matt. Matt's playing hockey and or maybe Matt is involved with the hockey player. I don't know. They hit and rivalry it up. That's off campus. That'd be great. Great show. Is this movie better with Wayne Jenkins for you? The forest saying low Robert Evans, Dr. Charles Nichols, Ted Levine or someone else. Did you have anyone for this? Well, there's not that many people in this movie, which is what I was thinking about. Like there's kind of four people in it. Maybe maybe six if you include Alex Carlson and the fiance. So my answer to that is no. Like we're good with this small cast. I would like Kirk Kerb Street on the director's commentary. Does he do hockey too? Now Kirk Kerb Street during the magazine pitch is like, yeah, it's a great pitch by Jenna. She looked over the room and she nailed the pitch. Al, um, just want to ask her who gets it. Can the soundtrack get an Oscar? Yeah, I think so. Sure. They have Oscars for soundtracks. I can't remember. They usually have original song. And I don't think they have like license song. I feel like best put together soundtrack should be there an Oscar or Grammy. Maybe it's maybe it is a Grammy. I think, uh, I don't actually want something. Um, I think the soundtrack is great for me. It is definitely the costumes and the wardrobe. Uh-oh. It's like just so well done. And um, I know that Jennifer Garner has worked with that woman many more times. Her name is Susie DeSanto. And it's like, to me, it's why the movie has trans like transcended culture is because of the dresses and the way that she wears them. And yeah, there's no question. Do you have a probably an answerable question for this movie? I mean, like I said, I'm wondering why she's named Tom Tom. We can't find out unless they, they add more to it. Um, I also would like to know what is the first issue of, uh, sparkle that Judy, Judy Grailby overseeing Lucy. Lucy, I want much more of her. Yeah. So I had as my first one, who ultimately won the pose versus, uh, poise versus sparkle battle in the 2000s. I think the answer is neither. I think us weekly just knocks both of them out and it's over. Probably. I was subscribing to both. So that's true. My other answer was the R-rated version of this movie is really interesting. And I'm glad they didn't do it. But there's a whole raunchy version of this movie that you probably can do with Cameron Diaz. Yeah. Where Jenna has sex for the first time and like, but I don't think she can be 13 in that scenario. I think the R-rated version Mark Ruffalo already did. It's called poor things. Right. Right. Where he's kind of in the same situation. Yeah. Actually, I watched him do a chicken shop date video, but just about that. Actually, he was like, yeah, I agree with you. Yeah. I don't think this movie makes a hundred million dollars and lives on forever. If it's our, no. memorabilia. Most one from this movie. It's either the dollhouse or the dress. I think it's the jacket that she wears to work on the first day. It's that, no, the netlopor jacket that she wears over the slip dress for me. But I guess the famous thriller dress is probably like the thriller dress is making you the most money if you buy it in ebay in 2010. Yes, definitely. The jacket Lily Reinhardt just wore on her press tour like she got. She went to the designer. She had like one in her basement. She borrowed it and they gave it back. So it's like Still, there's like a few of them out there.
- Yeah. - This is great information, Juliet, really bringing it to the table. - Thank you, I'm trying. - Coach Finstack, Mr. Mayor Aguier, where best worse life lesson, I can give you, I don't wanna be original, I wanna be cool. I think that's a bad life lesson. Or you can't just turn back time. - That's. - Profound. - That's really deep. - Or slow down your crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile. - Can I give you one from the great Kathy Baker? - Those aren't real people, honey. Those are models. - Hmm. - I said, I've got a great beginning for me. It's that. - Double featured choice, I think it has to be big, unless you wanna be freaking Friday. - I think it's big. I did. - I think it'd be big first than this. - Yeah, and also this movie like intentionally nods to big. So it's inviting you to do that. So I think it's a pretty easy choice. - And then who won the movie, Jennifer Gerner? - Jennifer Gerner, obviously. - I mean, she wins at so many things. - Craig, come into the Zoom. What do you got for us? - I'm not ashamed to admit I'd never seen this movie. - Oh. - Wow. - He's shocking. - I was nine years old. And I was a boy and I'm sure many nine-year-old boys in my age did not watch this film. And you know, by the time I was like 16, I was watching Super Bad, I wasn't going back and watching 13, going on 30. This is one of Liz's favorite movies. She was extremely excited to watch this. - So not surprised to hear that. It was probably the most amp she's been for rewatching for a long time. I really enjoyed it. I was so impressed by Jennifer Gerner who I didn't realize how little of a relationship I had to. Like, I see her more around Brentwood than I think I've seen her in movies. Like I see her at my bar shop 'cause she brings her kid in. And I, but I realized going through her IMDB, I'm like, "Juno, she's in Draft Day with Costner." Like, what else have I really seen her in? Ghost of Grover in's past I think I saw, but it's remarkable. You know, people talk about how there's like a joke that young people know of Paul Newman as like the guy from on salad dressings, you know? They get on nice to realize an actor. What Juliet said is completely true or I think of the majority of people in their 20s. Probably think of Jennifer Gerner as the capital one lady who was married to Ben Affleck. And I just thought she was so good. I thought her physical acting was like amazing and really subtle. I think like even the scene in the beginning where she's waking up and it's more of the big broad stuff was great, but the whole movie like, even the way she's drinking the peanut colada, she's taking these like giant gulps. Yeah. 'Cause she's like so excited to drink it. Super impressed with her. I thought she was totally like fantastic in it. And I actually think having seen this only for the first time as somebody in his early 30s, I kind of think this movie's better to see in your 30s than 13. - I think you can appreciate the humor more. - Make peace for both. - Yeah. - 'Cause I watched my daughter live through it as she was growing up and she also loved it and really identified with the teen stuff, but my wife loved it 'cause she saw it when she was in her 30s. - There's a couple of adult themes that are pretty good. I think the scene where she's trying to break up Ruffalo's wedding and Ruffalo has that moment where he was like, look, I'm gonna marry this woman, all right? Like you have to live with the consequences of the choices that you made. And she's like, okay, and she leaves. Which is like a pretty sad, poignant moment for a 13 year old girl to live with, right? And then even when she's with her mom at the house and she's like, I'm sorry, I didn't come to Christmas last year. I'm like, I'm at the age now. I'm like, wow, that's a real thing. I come off and you see your parents at that age. So yeah, I thought this movie was really enjoyable. - Yeah, it does flip the rom-com thing 'cause you think in any rom-com, they end up together at the wedding at, you know, she steals her way and they leave the wedding and they drive off end of the movie. And this one, he's like, no, I'm marrying this lady. - Yeah. - You blew it. - Yeah. - It's done. It's good. Oh, Craig, he's in. - Yeah. - Somebody's like one of his kids someday. - I also recently watched Clueless for the first time. - That's insane. That's crazy. - I don't know. - Jesus. - Which I think, like I think 13 going on 30 holds up much better than Clueless is really fun and charming. But I think this movie ages better to watch as an adult. - Clueless is very, yeah, very of his age. - It's a time capsule, yeah, like 95. - It's very sticky. - But this movie holds on to it. - 13 going on 30 is not as sticky. - No. - I think also LA has changed in a way in the movie that you can identify so much. Whereas with this movie in New York, they chose like kind of timeless locations. - The reality is the soundtrack of this movie will make this a 50 to 60 year run for this movie and the streamers. - And because it's just not gonna go away. - Yeah. And the mother daughter aspect of it. Like there aren't that many movies like this. I think this is why Gilmore Girls is also so popular because people can watch it as a young person or with their mom or then as a mom. Like when you can capture both ends of like that spectrum, it lasts a very long time. - 100%. - This was great. Juliet, I had a fantastic time. Craig, thank you as always. Thanks to Gihau and Eduardo and Chris as well. And then we watch it both side. We will see you seeing a week. [BLANK_AUDIO]
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
*13 Going on 30* has experienced a resurgence in popularity due to its intergenerational appeal, with families, particularly 30-somethings and their daughters, rewatching it for nostalgic and emotional resonance.
The film’s family-friendly tone and lack of mature themes make it accessible to children and younger viewers, fostering shared viewing experiences across generations.
Jennifer Garner’s performance as a 13-year-old is praised for its charm, innocence, and physicality, with her being seen as a perfect fit for the role and a standout in the rom-com genre.
The movie’s iconic soundtrack, featuring hits like “Vienna” by Billy Joel and “Burning Down the House,” plays a crucial role in its enduring appeal and nostalgic value.
The film’s success is tied to its timing—part of the late 1990s/early 2000s rom-com boom, when pop culture and music were deeply integrated into movie experiences.
Mark Ruffalo’s performance, though initially awkward, adds to the film’s charm, with his chemistry and memorable scenes contributing to its legacy.
The body-switch premise, while absurd, resonates widely and has inspired numerous imitations, demonstrating its cultural staying power.
Jennifer Garner’s career trajectory—marked by early TV work and a breakthrough in *13 Going on 30*—shows how a well-timed role can launch a lasting presence in Hollywood.
Summary:
The rewatch of *13 Going on 30* highlights its enduring cultural relevance, driven by intergenerational viewing and nostalgic appeal. The film’s lighthearted, family-friendly tone makes it accessible across age groups, particularly resonating with 30-somethings and their children. Jennifer Garner’s performance as the 13-year-old Jenna is celebrated for its charm and authenticity, showcasing her early breakthrough and innate connection to the character.
A key factor in the film’s longevity is its iconic soundtrack, which blends 2000s pop hits with timeless tracks like Billy Joel’s “Vienna,” creating a memorable and emotionally resonant experience. The film’s premise—where a young girl mysteriously swaps bodies with an adult—has become a cultural touchstone, inspiring numerous imitations and sparking discussions about the body-switch genre. It also reflects the peak of the late 1990s/early 2000s rom-com boom, when music and pop culture were deeply woven into cinematic storytelling.
Mark Ruffalo’s role as the adult man adds warmth and humor, while the film’s tight, engaging 97-minute runtime and strong performances prevent it from feeling outdated. Despite some logical inconsistencies, the film’s charm, emotional authenticity, and cultural references allow it to remain a beloved classic. Its resurgence is also tied to the rise of social media, particularly TikTok, where users recreate and share scenes involving adult and teen versions of the characters.
Ultimately, *13 Going on 30* stands as a testament to how a well-crafted, emotionally resonant film can transcend its initial release and become a generational touchstone.
FAQs
The movie has seen a resurgence due to TikTok trends, where 30-something moms and teens watch together in Halloween costumes. It's also been revived by the performances of Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, and its family-friendly, nostalgic tone makes it a shared viewing experience across generations.
The film is light-hearted, free of explicit content, and accessible to all ages. It avoids heavy themes, making it ideal for intergenerational viewing. Kids can enjoy the humor and charm without needing to understand deeper plot elements.
The scene with 'Vienna' is one of the most emotional and iconic moments in the film, adding dramatic depth and emotional resonance. It has become a cultural touchstone, contributing significantly to the movie's lasting appeal.
While Jennifer Garner is the lead actress, the movie's true star is its soundtrack. The use of iconic 2000s music like 'Vienna' and 'Liz Phair' has become as memorable as the performances, shaping the film’s nostalgic charm.
Ruffalo brings a grounded, relatable charm to the role of a 30-year-old man who finds himself in a strange situation. His chemistry with Garner and the film's humor, especially in the early scenes, makes the body-swap premise believable and enjoyable.
The idea of a young person swapping bodies with an adult is absurd yet fun, and it resonates with audiences’ love of whimsical, out-of-the-box storytelling. The film’s success paved the way for many similar movies, though it remains a standout in the genre.
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