80s Nostalgia a Drawcard For Contemporary Audiences of ‘Suddenly 30’
2004 was a year saturated by Supre fashion and Jesse McCartney; a time when Disney channel was at its peak and Facebook was only just invented.
‘Suddenly 30’ (’13 Going on 30′ in the USA), Directed by Gary Winick, was targeted toward the young people who so earnestly contributed to this culture.
They enjoyed the high-concept romantic comedy, which went on to gross over $55 million US dollars at the box office.
A lot has changed since 2004. Jesse McCartney, for example. But a lot hasn’t.
A recent reunion between ‘Suddenly 30’ co-stars Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo got me thinking about where the film sits in today’s rom-com market. It so happens that ‘Suddenly 30’ has maintained its relevance, still entertaining audiences some 17 years after release.
View this post on Instagram
Its success owes to stellar acting performances, a life-affirming story, and the film’s resplendent nods to 1980s culture.
Why do we, as audiences, love the 80s? ‘It has something to do with childhood’, says Aline Dolinh of ‘Film School Rejects’, who believes that our current cultural appreciation of the decade is associated with ‘impossible escapism or the earnest thrills of childhood.’ The wildly successful Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’ is another great indication of our collective appreciation of 80s culture.
‘Suddenly 30’, at its core, celebrates the vitality and resilience of youth. The stylistic and sonic 80s references within the film could have been a downfall in maintaining audience interest over the decades, however, it is positioned as one of our top 200 romantic comedy’s (rotten tomatoes).
Fun and contemplative in equal measure, the film is served by the protagonist, Jenna Rink, who makes a wish on her 13th birthday to become ‘Thirty, Flirty and Thriving’ like the women she admires in Poise Magazine. Young Jenna, portrayed by Christa B. Allen, is thirteen in the year 1987.
‘Big and bold’ is the going motto for every teen girl in Jenna’s world. It applies to hair, clothing and even braces. Young Jenna’s goal is to impress the exclusive ‘Six Chicks’, the mean yet popular girls at school. She lacks the wisdom to appreciate her true friend, Matt, portrayed as a teenager by Sean Marquette.
‘Suddenly 30’ capitalises on its 80s core, with a killer soundtrack boasting hits from Talking Heads through to Belinda Carlisle. Every major moment in Jenna’s onscreen journey is brought to life through the use of ballads and anthems.
View this post on Instagram
The wishing dust works its magic on Jenna’s 13th birthday, who awakes as a 30 year old woman in a New York City apartment with a grown man she doesn’t know. Sam, characterised as a goofy joker by Sam Ball, is adult Jenna’s boyfriend, but she doesn’t know that.
Jenna is gratefully whisked away from her apartment by her new best friend, Lucy, played by Judy Greer. Jenna learns that Lucy, once the leader of the ‘six-chicks’ in high school, works with Jenna at Poise Magazine, both editors. It is becoming clear that everything Jenna wished for as a thirteen year old has come to fruition.
At Poise Magazine Headquarters, a signed photograph of Madonna adorns Jenna’s office wall, the very same photo that took pride of place on her mirror as a 13 year old.
Her boss finds humour in her new naivety. Brought to life by Andy Serkis, Richard, like many others at Poise, believe she’s severely hungover.
Richard reminds Jenna that the most important party of the year would be on that very evening. Poise Magazine, we discover, has been struggling to compete with rival fashion magazine, Sparkle. The party is the optimum opportunity to assert confidence within the magazine’s clients.
Throughout the day at work, Jenna realises that the life she has inherited comes with challenges. She no longer speaks to her parents and has lost touch with Matt, portrayed as an adult by Mark Ruffalo.
Tracking him down in the city, Jenna finds that Matt is the same artsy, deep-thinking guy he was at thirteen, just with more arm hair.
Matt hasn’t heard from Jenna since high school. Despite this, Jenna besieges Matt for the answers she can’t find on her own.
‘What if this isn’t just a dream, what if everything I wished for actually happened?’
‘Then you got everything you wanted, Jenna, you might as well enjoy it.’
View this post on Instagram
Jenna invites Matt to the big party, and begins her own preparations. Surrounded by the types of stylish clothes and shoes she had pored over in ‘Poise’ magazine, Jenna emerges from her apartment’s walk-in-wardrobe bright and bold in a blue and green dress, reminiscent of her 13th birthday party outfit.
Jenna is trying to blend the life she held in the 80s and the one she has stepped into, the luminous dress colour and butterfly hair clips indicative of this amalgamation of eras. She is ready for the big party.
It turns out to be a bust, and Richard isn’t impressed, sharing his disappointment with Jenna:
‘People seem to be running to the exit like somebody set off a giant stink bomb,’
‘I don’t smell anything.’
Jenna musters up some courage and decide’s to make a change. After speaking with the DJ, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ bursts forth from the speakers. Jenna takes to the empty dance floor and replicates the moves from the iconic music video. Entranced by her enthusiasm, people are drawn to her and to the dance floor.
In a moment of joy and energy, the floor is filled with a variety of people, mixing clients and co-workers. Even Matt turns up, joining the crowd on the dance-floor. Ultimately, the party is saved by Jenna’s youthful whim, but Matt leaves in a hurry.
As Jenna begins to thrive as a 30 year old, the opportunity arises to work on a magazine redesign. She enlists Matt to orchestrate a series of photoshoots around New York. With Liz Phair’s ‘Why can’t I’ serenading in the background, Jenna and Matt grow closer throughout the shoots, bonding over Razzles and swing-rides by the river.
The magic of this perfect, youthful day doesn’t carry on. On the cusp of revealing her redesign concept for Poise Magazine, a mixture of betrayal and fear interfere in not only her work life, but her rekindled relationship with Matt, who has decided that he ‘can’t just turn back time’.
So, how does it all turn out? Will magic dust be needed to fix everything, or will things work out for themselves? This, you’ll need to find out for yourself.
Why should you watch it? In the most simple answer, ‘Suddenly 30’ leaves the viewer feeling a little bit better about life.
With lots of colour, humour, music and 80s nostalgia, the film invites audiences into a world not so far removed from our own.
Just as the 80s represent an era of innocence and youthfulness for so many, in Jenna’s world, childhood never leaves us, but guides us. This, we can take on board in our own lives.
So chuck on your favourite bright outfit and let your hair loose, it’s time to watch ‘Suddenly 30’. It might just do you some good. It’s just as Jenna shares in the film:
‘We need to remember what used to be good. If we don’t, we won’t recognise it even if it hits us between the eyes.’
Be the first to comment!