More than 15 years after the movie's original release, Jenna Rink from 13 Going on 30 is arguably Jennifer Garner’s most well-known role. The rom-com memorably has a child of the ‘80s suddenly finding herself in her body of her adult self, and it was fabulous. Watching the actress play a girl in a woman’s body was just funny and unforgettable. Now she is getting set to return to the body swap genre, as Garner has just signed up for a new movie centered on a family who get all mixed up.
Jennifer Garner will star in a Netflix original called Family Leave. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie will be about a family that wakes up to a “full family body switch” with another family who lives on the other side of the world. Once they realize the event has happened, they race to unite and undo the random event. Family Leave will be a comedy that will surely involve some hilarious situations pertaining to the families attempting to live their daily lives in different bodies than their own – a classic element of the setup.
Although it's a wildly different concept than 13 Going on 30, we already can’t wait to see Jennifer Garner jump into another comedic role like this, filled with all varieties of awkward situations. In her 2004 movie with Mark Ruffalo, she really thrived in making those cringe-heavy moments a good time for the audience, and contributed greatly to making it a classic.
Family Leave is based on Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s children’s book called Bedtime For Mommy. In the 2010 book, there’s a role reversal in terms of a child getting her mom ready for bed instead. It sounds like Family Leave is building on the story greatly, but its origins could mean Jennifer Garner gets to play a child in a woman’s body again, but in a different context.
Before she officially starts work on Family Leave, Jennifer Garner’s Netflix debut will be coming next month with Yes Day, another family comedy that has a story by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. You can check out the trailer for Garner’s Netflix debut below:
Yes Day is about a couple of parents who decide to let their children make the rules for a full 24 hours, leading to a day of unexpected adventure and chaos for the parents. Jennifer Garner will play the mother alongside Edgar Ramírez’s father character . Garner is also set to star in a movie called The Adam Project also starring Ryan Reynolds and Zoe Saldana. The sci-fi film will be about Reynold’s character traveling back in time to get help from his 13-year-old self.
All in all, Garner is keeping busy with roles in between raising a family of her own and owning a farm in California. Family Leave sounds like Freaky Friday with a whole lot more body swap, and room for hilarity.
