Summary
Jennifer Garner’s 2023 movie Family Switch cleverly (and lovingly) pays tribute to one of the actor’s most beloved films—13 Going On 30. As two movies within the body-swap genre, directly referencing one within the other was a great choice since Garner pretending to be a teenage girl was sure to remind audiences of her role from 19 years ago. 13 Going on 30 shares several other similarities with the Netflix holiday film, and by overtly referencing this and other body-swap classics, Family Switch let audiences know that they were entirely in on the joke.
Family Switch follows the characters within the Walker family, who, after making a series of wishes during an astrological phenomenon, wake up to find themselves in each other’s bodies. Jess (Garner) woke up in her daughter CC’s (Emma Myers) body, and vice versa, and Bill (Ed Helms) woke up in his son Wyatt’s (Brady Noon) body. This gave Garner another opportunity to pretend to be a teenage girl in a grown woman’s body, just as in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30, and the actor’s performance was an absolute pleasure. To make this experience even better, Family Switch called itself out for aligning so similarly to this and other body-swap movies.
Family Switch Has A Callback To Jennifer Garner’s 13 Going On 30
Shortly after finding themselves in the wrong bodies, the Walkers head to the kitchen to figure out what has happened to them. At one point, Bill, who is Wyatt in his father’s body, said “I’m 13 going on 30!” clearly referencing the connection to Garner’s film. This was a hilarious addition and a great way to add a little self-aware comedy to Family Switch. This isn’t the last time Garner’s 19-year-old film was called back to audiences’ attention. During the dance scene at the high school party, the Walkers participate in a group dance, and the scene feels cut from the same cloth as Garner’s “Thriller” moment with the other characters of 13 Going on 30.
How Family Switch References Other Body Swap Comedies
Bill (actually Wyatt) wasn’t the only one to overtly reference past body-swap movies. The same character had started by saying, “Nobody has ever just woken up big,” which references the 1988 Tom Hanks movie Big. Then, Wyatt (actually Bill) says, “Yeah, it’s so freaky,” referencing Freaky Friday, and CC (actually Jess) says, “I’m 17 again!”—which calls to mind the Zac Efron film 17 Again. The whole conversation started with Garner’s character saying that they were experiencing a “completely unique and original situation that has literally never happened before.”
This is clearly Family Switch’s attempt to call itself out for what it is. Since the body-swap formula has been used time and time again in Hollywood, audiences already know what to expect. Though the Netflix movie switched the bodies of several more characters than its predecessors within the genre, it’s still more or less the same story told all over again. With this scene, director McG let audiences know that he was fully aware that this wasn’t a unique premise but centered on how much fun body swaps can be anyway. It’s an intentional release of tension and a callback to films like 13 Going on 30 that paved the way for Family Switch.
Release Date: 2023-11-30
Director: McG
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers, Brady Noon, Rita Moreno
Rating: PG
Runtime: 101 Minutes
Genres: Comedy, Family, Holiday
Writers: Adam Sztykiel, Victoria Strouse
Story By: Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Victoria Strouse
Studio(s): Grey Matter Productions, Wonderland Sound and Vision, Linden Entertainment
Distributor(s): Netflix
