14 Going on 30

Copies of this are rare, but hunt one down; this little gem is worth the search. It's a lesser-known cousin of "Big," the Tom Hanks smash released about the same time. As good as Big is, I found this one to be more re-watchable. (Don't confuse it with the similarly titled 13 going on 30, the Jennifer Garner vehicle, which also delved into the kid-turns-into-adult theme.)

It's optimistic and sweet, and has a lot of heart. That's because it remembers it's a fantasy right to the end, something these other Big-type movies don't quite do. This one maintains its focus of what the 14 year old's dream was at the outset, and resolves it in an appealing way. It doesn't derail itself with adult angst stuff, as the others have done.

Basically, a teen has a crush on his young home-room teacher, who is engaged to his loudmouth gym coach, an arrogant oaf who runs Phys Ed classes like a military dictatorship. A series of well-timed opportunities turns the kid temporarily into an adult, the new principal of the school. He sets out to stop the marriage, with some comic results. The entire story is threaded well, and the final scene is endearing. For a limited budget made-for-TV movie, this is a keeper.