13 Going on 30

The only movie that ever made me cry was The Fox and The Hound. That was, until last year or so. I shed a single tear during 13 Going on 30. I may have mentioned this before, but I didn't really explain why.


There is something about that movie that just hits me. I think it's the overwhelming theme in the movie that you can't go back. For better or worse, you've made choices, and that's your life. Most people can connect with regret.
Jenna finds out at the age of 30 that she has led a terrible life. She has deserted her true friends and used everyone around her for power and popularity, both in high school and as an adult. She asks her former friend Matt what happened - when did they stop being friends? What had she done to him? He tries to shrug it off because it's in the past.

We try not to let ourselves care about the past because it's gone. We try to forget the ways we were hurt because time is supposed to heal things. But Jenna approaches things with a childlike urgency. She needs to know what happened. She needs to let herself experience the pain she caused other people. When she finds out, there's just regret. Knowing that you can't change the past is such a heavy thought, and there's no way around it.

As much as I'm a fan of movies where people throw logic to the wind and follow their hearts, there's something to be said for a movie that shows you can't always do that. It's just more real.

But then it still has a good ending, cause let's face it, it's a chick flick.