13 Going on 30: Fun & Flirty Edition [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

ISBN 10: 1404918051 ISBN 13: 9781404918054

Synopsis

DVD

About this title

Synopsis

Contains the romantic comedies Maid in Manhattan, 13 Going On 30, and 50 First Dates. In Maid in Manhattan, Marisa Ventura (Jenifer Lopez) works as a maid in a top class Manhattan hotel. She meets wealthy Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes)--the heir to a political dynasty who mistakenly believes that she is actually at guest at the hotel--and the pair share a magical romantic night together. He finally realises the truth, but can they overcome their differences? In 13 Going On 30, Jenna is a typical girl who is approaching her teens and who just wants to grow up--as fast as possible. After her 13th birthday she makes a wish and next morning wakes to find that she is 30. Jenna (Jennifer Garner) then has to find out what has happened in the intervening years. In 50 First Dates, Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) meets Lucy (Drew Barryomre) over breakfast and strikes up a conversation. They become firm friends immediately and agree to meet the next day. Unfortunately when the next day arrives, Lucy can't remember ever meeting Henry and he soon discovers that, following an accident, she suffers from short term memory loss.

From Amazon.co.uk

In the breezy Maid in Manhattan, a maid in a top-flight hotel (Jennifer Lopez) chances to dress in a guest's clothes just when a handsome political candidate (Ralph Fiennes) walks in. Naturally, he's bowled over and pursues her; he's initially drawn to her gorgeous good looks but soon comes to appreciate her honesty and common sense. Of course, she can't let him know that she's only a maid, and various hi-jinks ensue--it's all pretty formulaic, but lurking in the edges of this glossy, brainless romance are a wealth of sly turns by Natasha Richardson and Amy Sedaris (as callow socialites), Bob Hoskins (as a dignified butler), Stanley Tucci (as Fiennes' exasperated campaign manager), and many less familiar faces. All help to give Maid in Manhattan the life and texture that has been processed out of the main characters. --Bret Fetzer

Jennifer Garner glows like a rising star in 13 Going on 30, a girly version of the Tom Hanks classic Big. Jenna (Garner, Alias, Daredevil), a frustrated teenage girl, just wants to skip past all those annoying adolescent years and arrive at a glamorous adulthood--and thanks to some inexplicable wishing dust, she does. But once she re-orientates herself to a life as a high-end magazine editor with a sports-star boyfriend, she discovers that in the 17 years she skipped she became a not-so-nice person, including casting aside her best friend Matt (played as an adult by Mark Ruffalo, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). There's no question that Jenna will rediscover her lost innocence, but Garner rises above the lack of suspense. 13 Going on 30 floats along, buoyed by her goofy sweetness. Her lovely looks are made accessible by her unfettered silliness; it's a winning combination. --Bret Fetzer

50 First Dates is a sweet-natured vehicle for sweet-natured stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and their track record with The Wedding Singer no doubt factors in its lowbrow appeal. But while the well-matched lovebirds wrestle with a gimmicky plot (she has no short-term memory, so he has to treat every encounter as their first), director Peter Segal (who directed Sandler in Anger Management) ignores the intriguing potential of their predicament (think Memento meets Groundhog Day) and peppers the proceedings with the kind of juvenile humour that Sandler fans have come to expect. The movie sneaks in a few heartfelt moments amidst its inviting Hawaiian locations, and that trained walrus is charmingly impressive, but you can't quite shake the feeling that too many good opportunities were squandered in favour of easy laughs. Like Barrymore's character, you might find yourself forgetting this movie shortly after you've seen it. --Jeff Shannon

Edition details

• ISBN 10: 1404918051
• ISBN 13: 9781404918054
• Binding: DVD