Well then. Given digs’ penchant for unnecessary displays of sexism to undermine an opinion, I’m actually glad I’m on team Alternate Ending.
I mean, definitely, the faces look entirely off in 14 going on 30 but I might’ve misremembered them, that’s a remote possibility. However, as an artistic person though I also remember lighting, composition, framing angles, and so on. Those were all so very wrong for what I remember in 14 going on 30. Completely off. Nothing at all alike.
The overall attitude of the scene was off, too. The one I recall was much more schmaltzy.
So I’m in agreement that this alternate ending certainly exists. It seems to be a commonwealth televised affair, though. I recall seeing it on television too, in the UK. I suppose Americans never had it on telly and it’s lead to some rather astounding cases of jealousy; The haves and the have-nots, eh?
The lack of it on YouTube is easily explained, too, as this has happened to other films. It was most likely a test screening that had a cut that was never meant to be aired, this likely – through accident of bureaucracy – ended up in the hands of a Commonwealth television channel who aired it being none the wiser. It was handed around and aired a few more times, that way, before the mistake was spotted. Afterward, no one aired that release as it was a mistake that – for the sake of the jobs of those involved – was best forgotten.
Those who saw it had no reason to videotape it in the window it aired, having no clue of how special it was. I imagine it’ll turn up eventually. The unsavoury Alt-Right types are likely going to have a bit of fun trying to trick us, but we have what they don’t – compositional memory of the scene. I’m betting if we compared notes on that, we’d find it was the same.
We shouldn’t do that, though, for precisely the aforementioned reason.
I say be patient, it’ll turn up. And have a laugh at any attempts at trickery.