Effervescence of Jenna Rink; Celebrating Characters in Cinema: Volume 12

This is  effervescence  personified: Jennifer Garner's BRILLIANT portrayal of  "Jenna Rink"  in 13 Going on 30 (2004).  

That gem of a rom-com which ranks in my top four.  When it comes to E.C. Henry I see the best romantic comedies off all time being the clear favorites of: While You Were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock, 1994), Dan in Real Life (Steve Carrel, 2007), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Kate Hudson, 2002) and 13 Going on 30 (Jennifer Garner, 2004).  Depending my mood the order of those four may vary, but to me those are clearly the best four romantic comedies of all time.

Yeah the movie came out twenty years ago, but it's really a timeless story of childhood sweethearts, and the bonds they have.  Strangely enough the origins of this post really aren't from 13 Going on 20, but rather the Capital One commercials that Jennifer Garner has been in promoting the NCAA basketball tournament with fellow celbs Jim Nance, Charles Barkley and Samuel Jackson.  In watching those commercials I took note of Jennifer Garner and her supporting contributions, which usually featured Jennifer Garner smiling and injected levitivity.  

There is a persona an actor or actress carves out over time, and in retrospect of her the best word that comes out to describe Jennifer Garner is  effervescence  .  So what is  effervescence ?  As it's not a word you use everyday.  

 

 Effervescence  is 1) the property of forming bubbles, 2) an  appealingly lively quality  or the  state of being active, positive and full of energy 

 

So what goes into  effervescence ?   Smile ,  bounce to one's steps ,  uplifting attitude ,  one who injects life into the conversation .  For years the epitome of  this  was  Meg Ryan .  Sure  Meg  is in her 60s now, and doesn't project near appeal that she once did, but from the late 80s to 2000 there wasn't anyone who did  effervescence  better than her.   That  bounce to her step , the  happy smile  her characters were prone to give, all helped  Meg Ryan  carve out a  persona  the resonated with movie watchers FOR YEARS!  Sure, some of  that  wilted away starting in the early 2000s; but for a while she was  America's darling .  

So how does a wider swooth of actresses grade out in terms of  effervescence ?  Lets find out!

•  Jennifer Aniston : Definitely, a rom-com actress.  Started out in horror with the first movie in the Leprechaun series, then became a national darling due to her portray of "Rachel" in the NBC sit com, "Friends" which ran from 1994 to 2004.  I guess Ross courting of her in "Friends" had some  effervescence  to it.  But I think her appeal was more of the "pretty girl in waiting" syndrome which is a cousin of true  effervescence ,  Later, in her movie career, Jennifer played a slew of romantic, love interests; but she feel short of the  bounce ,  levity  and  likeableness  common to the persona carved out by the  adorable Meg Ryan  and the  playful-and-light female neighbor type ,   Jennifer Garner .  Still, I think   Jennifer Anisiton  came close to having  effervescence  be a staple of her appeal so I would rank her a  6  out 10.
• Sandra Bullock: An American actress who's carved a pretty diverse career in the actresses roles she's had.  Really got going in that thriller with Keanu Reeves, "Speed", but my favorite movie of hers will always be, While You Were Sleeping.  Sandra's appeal in that movie was as the shy girl in waiting.  There was innocence and cuteness about her "Lucy" character, but not really an effervescence.  The attraction that Bill Pullman's character of "Jack" had towards her was the closet Sandra Bullock ever got to being effervescent .  I always thought Sandra Bullock's overaching appeal was as a smart girl, who somewhat good looking, who is apt and able to take on threats.  So Sandra Bullocks  effervescence  rank is 4 out 10.
• Taylor Swift: More of a singer than an actress that's for sure.  The  vibe  she gives off usually is  effervescent  when she's letting her fans take selfies with her.  I've always thought Taylor Swift was more positive than negative, though some of her songs really have biting edge to them: Blank Space, Bad Blood, Look What You Made Me Do, Into the Woods.  So I see Taylor as a complex girl who showcases a wide range of emotion.  Though songs like  Love Story , You Belong With Me, State of Grace, and Untouchable, she has so much POSITIVE romantic energy.  Overall I would rank Taylor Swift as a 3 out of 10 on the  effervescence  with the caveat being that I think she's only displays that characteristic when she is excited about a budding romance that she's in, or trying to show her fans a good time at one of her concerts.  I don't think  effervescence  is a staple of Taylor Swift's personality.  Rather it's a trait that she taps into when she wants something or is trying to show her fans a good time. 
•  Jennifer Garner : Really only came on my radar AFTER 13 Going on 30.  I never watched an episode of Alias, which put her on the map.  But her role as  Jenna Rink  has an abundance of  effervescence , and ever since then I think she's made that a  staple of her persona .  Can't believe was married to Ben Affleck and even another guy gamed, Scott Foley (October 2000 - March 2004), before that.  Ben Affleck really doesn't come across as a good match for Jennifer, though they do have three kids together.  Still, I would rate  Jennifer Garner  a  9  out of 10 in terms of  effervescence , and the  benchmark standard  for that  category  .
• Jennifer Love Hewitt: Ewwwie, such a hot brunette in the late 90s-early 2000s.  Her  happy smile  sure is  effervescent .  And for a while she did play the pretty-girl-in-waiting roles, but her acting was never much to speak of.   Like Taylor Swift, Jennifer Love Hewitt, did have asperations of being a singer.  Had one really silly song entitled, "Let's Go Bang!"  Some of her off camera quotes don't lend themselves to  effervescence   either.  I would rater Jennifer Love Hewitt a 3 out of 10 in terms of  effervescence .

• Kate Hudson: suffers the same fate as Jennifer Love Hewitt when looked at.   Nice smile , but beyond that effervescence really capture her on-screen persona.  Gave the the best performance by a lead in a romantic comedy, imo, in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  But that distinction didn't really come from effervescence.  She did display spurts of the trait, but Andie Anderson, had a myriad of different moods in the great romantic comedy.   I would rate Kate Hudson as a 2 out 10 in terms of  effervescence .
• Katherine Heigl: non known for her effervesce.  Have seen her several different rom-coms.  Usually as a woman in trouble: The Ugly Truth, Knocked Up, and 27 Dresses.  So she did a flurry of romantic comedies in the mid-to-late 2000s.  Her appeal was always a modern woman with a brain who wasn't afraid to mix it up the opposite sex.  I would rate Ketherine Heigl a 1 out 10 in terms of  effervescence .
• Amy Schumer: Her schtick has always been more on the effin than the effervescence.  She has always sought to give off a more slutty vibe.  Closest she ever came to being misconstued as being effervescent would be in spots of I Feel Pretty, and even then it was more of a bonked-on-the-head, anti-self temporary act.  Amy Schumer rank 0.5 out of 10 on the  effervescence   scale.
• Zooey Deschanel: Was in (500) Days of Summer and New Girl on Fox from 2010-2018.  Not a fan of her persona.   Nice smile if taken in a still shot, but once the cameras start rolling the negative undercurrent surfaces and torpedoes all.  0 out 10 rating.
• Jennifer Connolly: Never really studied her career.  Know she was in Career Opportunities (1991) and was the pretty girl love interest.  Is one these actresses that was in lot of things and sorta known, but never really known.  I would rank her a 1 in terms of  effervescence .
• Phoebe Cates: Wow back in the 1980s, it looked like this was the "it" girl for the next 20 years.  But outside of Fast Times at Ridgemond High and Gremlins, what has she done?  #crickets.  Still, her breif flurry as heart-throb can't be denied.  As such I would rank her a 4 in terms of  effervescence .  And if she continued to act, no reason to believe ranking wouldn't have ranked higher. 
•  Brooke Shields  : There was a time in the early 1980s where no girl exuded more innocent, sexual charm than Brooke Shields.  Unfortunately for her she doesn't have the longitivity in film.  But in all honesty  Brooke Shields  is the epitome of innoscent sexual; appeal, which is close cousin to  effervescence .  I would rank her a  5  in terms of  effervescence . 
• Alicia Silverstone: One of the grossly overrated actresses of all-time, imo.  Guess she had a mini-run of success in the mid to late 90s with Clueless and Blast from the Past.  But her persona was that of the romantic skeptic, which is on the opposite side of the rainbow from the hopeful effervescent.  Not even a fan of her smile...  I would rank Alicia Silverstone 0 in terms of effervescence. 
• Jennifer Lopez: A woman who has done some rom-com fare.  Who is a singer like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Love Hewitt.  But her Latina act doens't lend itself to innocent, sexual attraction.  But tends to gets sausy as "bodiqua".  I would rate her a 0.5 out of 10 in terms of effervescence.
  
• Cate Blanchette: Has always come across as way too serious.  Seldom even shows a playful side on screen.  I would rank her a 0 in terms of effervesce.  
• Rachel McAdams: Pretty lively girl.  Nothing of hers really stands out though: About Time, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Mean Girls.  Shows some flash of spunk and livliness.  I would rank her a 4 out 10 in that category.
• Andie McDowell: Has been in such memorable rom-coms as Groundhog Day, Green Card, and Four Weddings and Funeral.  In spots she's palpable on screen, but I was swayed by her physical charms.  She just comes across as an AVERAGE woman to me.  A little bit of bit of positive spunk, but never anything that amounts to anything.  I would rank her a 1 in terms of effervescence.  
•  Meg Ryan : Was the "it" girl of rom-coms for a while because of the  effervescent  vibe she brought to whatever movie she was in late 1980s - 2000.  Didn't maintain that trait as well as Jennifer Garner did.  Still I would rate Meg Ryan as a  8  out of 10 in terms of  effervescence .

So going from worst to  first :

Zoey Deschanel: 0

Cate Blanchette: 0

Alicia Silverstone: 0

Amy Schumer: 0.5

Jennifer Lopez: 0.5

Katherine Heigl: 1

Andie McDowell: 1

Jennifer Connelly: 1

Jennifer Hudson: 2

Taylor Swift: 3

Jennifer Love Hewitt: 3

Sandra Bullock: 4

Rachel McAdams: 4

Phoebe Cates: 4

 Brooke Shields  : 5

 Jennifer Aniston : 6

 Meg Ryan : 8

 Jennifer Garner : 9

The toast of today's post is  Jennifer Garner .  Yay!  And as you can see it's not that easy to add  effervescent  to your personna as a women.  Sexy doesn't not equal  effervescence , BUT  effervescence  is a part of a greater embodiment of what E.C. Henry considers sexy in a woman's behavior.

 Jennifer Garner  role as the  grown up Jenna Rink  in 13 Going on 30 is the best job an actresses has ever done at portraying a  girl's innocence, spunk, and fun  over the course of multiple scenes in a movie.  Like the time  she's lying on the bed accepting a limo ride to after-work party .  Or the way she utters the,  "Mattie!"  to call out to her childhood sweetheart.  Or the way  she takes over a failing dancing session with re-enactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", 

When  sexiness, innocence, and playfulness combine , you have a  formidable combination  that is VERY ATTRACTIVE to heterosexual men.  Effervescence  is the  opening and fun side of sexy .  It's not meant to be the end-all, but should be a part of a woman's repertoire.  Especially for women who want to star in romantic comedy movies. 

 

Comments

[Di]

No disrespect, but typing in all caps for emphasis is very boomerish. It never convinces anybody that you’re serious. Ironically it achieves the opposite. Hope you have a nice day.

[E.C. Henry]

Good morning Lee,

Gunna have to push back HEAVILY on your TRITE assessment of the GREAT Carson Reeves. He is far from a "weird reactionary", as you pigeon holed him as. He's a script evaluator with ambitions of becoming a movie producer.

Carson Reeves is a GREAT guy.
Carson Reeves is funny.
Carson Reeves is witty.
Carson Reeves has a passion for breaking down stories.
Carson Reeves is well read.
Carson Reeves is committed, and by that I mean he's steady cranking out content evaluating stories and happening in the Entertainment Industry.

I can't say enough good things about the guy. He is one of my favorite people on the planet.

So spend more time over at his Scriptshadow site. I think you'll love it. And you'll probably make some friends. :)

[Lee]

Went over to Scriptshadow and read the post about Civil War. When did Carson Reeves become this weird reactionary?

[E.C. Henry]

Lee,

I'm happiest when I'm writing rom-com material. Delving into politics BORES ME. Just because I'm a writer doesn't mean all topic interest or engage with me.

If you're so gung-ho on this movie you should skip on over to Carson Reeves' Scriptshadow site where today: Monday, April 15th; it's the featured movie on one of his posts.

Your idea of something special is obviously different than mine. Last movie I really liked was Redeeming Love. Recently, I thought Ridley Scott's Napoleon was pretty good. Didn't like Sydney Sweeny's Anyone But You so it's not like I give all rom-com material a free pass.

[Lee]

OK, so you haven’t seen the movie but you’re claiming it avoids harsh truths, truths that you… decline to define? I think you mean well, but you’re an odd man.

Anyway, Texas and California team up when the president appoints himself as a dictator. The two states put aside “extremist” politics and join forces to storm the capital, putting an end to his fascistic reign of terror. It ends w/ the Western Forces assassinating the Commander in Chief as he cowers in the Oval Office. Last half hour is some of the most engrossing combat footage since Black Hawk Down, maybe even Saving Private Ryan.

Again, if it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. But I think you’re missing out on something special.

[E.C. Henry]

Lee,

You may as well tell me what the compelling reason that brings Texas and California to union, because I'm not going to see that movie.

As for the "hard hitting truths" I alluded to, that's up to you to decipher. I'm not going to start expounding on my political beliefs in the comment thread. You're the one who brought up this movie, not me.

[Lee]

Fair play.

Though if you're interested in how California and Texas unite to form the Western Forces, the movie does have a compelling explanation.

Also, what do you mean by hard hitting truth? What do you consider to be the hard hitting truth that Garland is supposedly avoiding?

[E.C. Henry]

Lee,

I hove NO INTEREST in seeing Alex Garland's Civil War movie. I get that it's topical and on most people's minds, the severe political divide in America right now.

Huge fan of Alex Garland as a creative force. 28 Days Later... is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. And I'm interested in seeing how Alex picks up the mantle and writes on in again some 20+ years later. But his latest doesn't interest me.

When I heard California and Texas were united I just mentally wrote the whole thing thing off. I guess Alex is trying to put some distance between the hard hitting truth.

I've never looked to the movies to stir political conversations. Rather, I go the news, pray, and form my own opinions.

As fellow creative in my own way, I try to entertain all: liberals and conservatives. Politically, I find find most issues easy to sort out, and find it very easy who to support and who to not to.

[Lee]

Interested to know your take on Civil War once you see it. It’s an action film, not a romantic comedy. But I know you’ve written all sorts of genres, including action, so you’ll probably like it. Civil War is the movie of the moment. A Millenial Apocalypse Now!