What makes it work is Garner, who is touching and hilarious. She is open and vulnerable but lightly and with charm. Even the walk is just right, all shoulders, not hips.
13 Going on 30 (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:157
Fresh:101
Rotten:56
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: The plot's nothing new, but Garner shows a lovable flair for romantic comedies.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sexual content and brief drug references
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 23, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $56,044,241
Synopsis: It is 1987 and Jenna is a 13-year-old girl on the brink of womanhood. The problem is that adulthood is just not arriving fast enough. She's suffocated by her dorky parents, ignored by the hip kids... It is 1987 and Jenna is a 13-year-old girl on the brink of womanhood. The problem is that adulthood is just not arriving fast enough. She's suffocated by her dorky parents, ignored by the hip kids in school and the cute guy she has a crush on barely knows her name. No longer content to spend time only with her best friend and neighbor, Matt Flamhaff, Jenna invites the cool kids to her 13th birthday party. But the party is a disaster. Jenna is humiliated when she's locked in the closet for a game of “Seven Minutes in Heaven” and everyone deserts her. Alone in the closet, Jenna makes an earnest wish. If only she could be all grown up, she'd have the life she's always wanted. Miraculously, her wish comes true. The next day, when Jenna emerges from the closet, it's 2004 and she's 30 years old. What's more, she is a gorgeous successful woman (Jennifer Garner) with a great job and a fabulous Fifth Avenue apartment. She is finally cool and popular. The only hitch? She has absolutely no idea how she got there. Initially frightened but gradually enchanted by her new life, Jenna soon realizes there's something missing — Matt. When she looks him up, she is horrified to discover that she and Matt (Mark Ruffalo) are no longer in contact and he is engaged to be married. Jenna learns that having it all is not enough and decides to take a second chance at first love. Now her biggest wish is that it's not too late. Revolution Studios Presents A Roth/Arnold Production, A Gina Matthews Production 13 Going on 30, a Columbia Pictures release starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis and Kathy Baker. The film is directed by Gary Winick from a screenplay by Cathy Yuspa & Josh Goldsmith and Niels Mueller, and a story by Yuspa & Goldsmith. The producers are Gina Matthews, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth. The executive producers are Todd Garner and Dan Kolsrud. The director of photography is Don Burgess, ASC. The costume designer is Susie DeSanto. The production designer is Garreth Stover. The film editor is Susan Littenberg. The music is by Theodore Shapiro. The music supervision is by John Houlihan. 13 Going on 30 has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Some Sexual Content and Brief Drug References. -- © Columbia Pictures [More]
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis, Kathy Baker
Director: Gary Winick
Director: Gary Winick
Screenwriter: Cathy Yuspa, Josh Goldsmith, Niels Mueller
Producer: Gina Matthews, Susan Arnold, Donna Arkoff Roth
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Jan 20, 2009
Blu-ray Disc Features:
- Package Note: Region ABC
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
- Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
- Dolby True HD 5.1 - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
- Subtitles - Chinese, English SDH, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Alternate Scenes
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes
Bloopers:
- 1. Blooper Reel
Audio Commentary:
- 1. Director's Commentary
- 2. Producers Commentary
Featurette:
- 1. I Was A Teenage Geek
- 2. 1980s Fashion Flashback
Music Video:
- 1. Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield
- 2. Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
Making Of:
- 1. The Making of a Teen Dream
- 2. Making of a Teen Dream: Another Take
Interactive Features:
- BDLive
Text/Photo Galleries:
Galleries:
- 1. Photo Gallery
Reviews for 13 Going on 30
...like a game of reverse dress-up, in which an adult mugs about unconvincingly in the clothes of a little kid.
Yes, 13 Going on 30 is a rip-off of Tom Hanks's Big, but it has its own merits and charm (that's what the lawyers will be arguing when they get sued).
This is a strange sort of comedy where the big jokes don't work but the little ones do.
Once the movie gets going, it's funny, resonant, and magical in the same way Big was.
Without (Garner), 13 Going on 30 just wouldn't have the same charm. With her, it's magic.
"13 Going On 30" makes no apologies for being a carbon copy of 1988's "big," although it's inevitable that most audiences will wish that it did.
Didn't really suck and sold me on its lead relationship between Garner and the great Mark Ruffalo.
Doesn't have an original bone in its narrative body, but coasts through on a large dose of Jennifer Garner charm.
On the surface it's not a lot more than Big with boobs, but the film has an agreeable charm and considerably more emotional resonance than its obvious inspiration.
Garner manages a natural sweetness that sells Jenna’s inherent adolescence, and her wide-mouthed grin wipes the grime off of the simplistic script
Jennifer Garner's performance is sweet, bouncy, innocent and absolutely irresistible.
Fans of Garner's, of which there are many, might find it cute and funny. I did not.
A sprightly surprise...a girl's wish-fulfillment fantasy that's engaging rather than trying, a chick flick that even their dates can enjoy.
So engaging and ultimately so sweet that it’s difficult not to get swept up in the fun and sentimentality.
The movie may not be as good, uplifting, or perceptive as Big, but it's one of the better teen girl-themed films of the year, and can be enjoyed by viewers of either gender in any age group.
Though Jennifer Garner has a huge fan club, she's not a particularly appealing actress in a movie that nonetheless has its moments.
Should be a monster hit with tween girls but should have wide appeal as did Freaky Friday, another similar picture.
A great rollicking romp about second chances and turning back time. Jennifer Garner is particularly delicious in her exuberant innocence. She's a natural comedienne.
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