Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garner shines in her first major movie leading role, July 30, 2004
Although this movie is often inaccurately referred to as a girly version of Tom Hanks BIG the movie is actually so much more and so much better. Whewreas in the previous movie Hanks character stays in the 1980s when he receives instant adulthood, in this movie an element of time travel is involved when 13 year-old Jenna goes to sleep in 1987 and wakes up all grown up in 2004.
The movie is all the better for this plot device, we get to see where most of the characters from 1987 are now, and the implications of the decision Jenna makes at the beginning of the movie. Its both piognant, romantic and funny in its execution and you would be pressed to find a truly more involving comedy drama in recent years.
Carrying the movie is star of television show ALIAS, the impossibly beautiful and talented Jennifer Garner. She proves that her entertaining turn as Sydney Bristow was no fluke by ably showing of her comic timing and delivery. Not a slam-bang comedy of the Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler vein this movie is more subtle and less in your-face.
As a 32-year old who remembers 1987 well the pop culture references to that era in the initial scenes were drenched in nostalgia and as someone who has chosen a similar career path as Garner's character it is even more involving and interesting. Without giving too much of the well crafted story away, this movie makes you reflect on the decisions you make and the impilcations each decision makes. In this sense it is like the recent Kutcher movie THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT although far more entertaining and light hearted.
This movie is well recommended.
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55 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A surprisingly delightful, feel-good comedy, November 29, 2004
I was rather pleasantly surprised by this film. Obviously, the storyline is by no means unique, and I've seen too many films featuring kids and adults miraculously switching places to feel all that confident about going once more into a similar breach, but 13 Going on 30 is actually, well, delightful. I'm a big Jennifer Garner fan going all the way back to her role in the short-lived Time of Your Life; by and large, I think she did a wonderful job in this role. It is certainly a different Jennifer Garner than we see on Alias, and it certainly appears as if she relished a role in which she got to be silly and whimsical. I would have to credit Mark Ruffalo with an even more impressive performance, though, as his was the subtle glue that held the fantastical elements of the plot together.
Young Jenna has just turned 13; already unhappy with the way she looks and anxious to be popular, she suffers an embarrassing indignation which has her fervently wishing to be 30. Thanks to some wishing dust on the model dream home her obviously infatuated by "not cool" friend Matt built for her, she gets her wish. I thought the early scenes featuring 13-year-old Jenna reacting to the instant passing of 17 years and adjusting to her new, uh, accessories was a little awkward, and a certain lack of continuity in regard to her reactions to new stimuli popped up sporadically as the film progressed. One minute she's acting like a young teenager, and then she will suddenly seem to have grown up into her new age to a significant degree. Anyway, she discovers that all of her dreams have come true: she was popular, and she has become mighty successful in life - actually sitting atop the fashion magazine she was addicted to as a kid. Before long, though, she begins to see that having it all isn't all it is cracked up to be. This grown-up body she inhabits is actually a rather empty shell of a not so nice person. She learns that she has done some rather nasty things over the course of the missing 17 years. The only person she can turn to is her friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo), but the two have gone in very different directions over the years. In the process of trying to save her magazine, Jenna learns that the dreams of childhood don't turn out the way you thought they would and other obvious life lessons, etc., etc. You can probably guess what happens at the end.
The film does succeed rather well as a comedy; the Thriller dance scene, while uncomfortable to watch, is indeed quite silly, and some of adult Jenna's interactions with young teens also play well. I also loved the fact that the movie helped take me back to the 1980s, to some degree. There are some classic 80s tunes on the soundtrack, and beginning the film with the sound of the Go-Go's definitely qualifies for a star in my book. That being said, I have to say that I don't remember some of the awful hair-dos of the film actually existing in the late 80s - certainly not among the girls my eyes gravitated toward in those halcyon days of youth.
In the end, this is basically your silly, entertaining, feel-good comedy, and it stars one of Hollywood's most attractive, talented actresses. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and that is a big reason why it works as well as it does. It is by no means a must-see, but I do believe it is a film you cannot help but enjoy.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasing romantic comedy, July 25, 2004
Jennifer Garner gives a delightful, star turn performance in the comedic-fantasy "13 Going on 30". Jenna (Christa B. Allen) hates being a tween. When her 13th birthday rolls around, she's excited and invites her best friend Matt (Sean Marquette) as well as the girls from the most popular click at her school to her party. There's no adults allowed so, of course, it'll be the best 13th birthday bash ever. Not really. Before the party Matt gives her Jenna's dream house in miniature with figures representing Jenna, Rick Springfield and, of course, Matt. Oh, he also includes some magic dust so she can make all her dreams come true. Lucy the "leader" of the click ditches her and embarrasses her. Jenna's angry and kicks Matt out of the house. As she settles into the closet where she's put her wrecked dream house, she wishes for nothing more than to be 30 not 13.
The next morning Jenna (Garner) wakes up in a strange bed with a strange man. She doesn't quite understand what's happened. Yesterday, she was 13 and now she's the co-editor of her favorite fashion magazine. It seems strange particularly when she discovers that Matt's no longer in her life and everyone generally regards her as a supreme bitch. She's confused not sure she's happy and misses Matt (Ruffalo). She looks him up in Greenwich Village and discovers he's a talented photographer who hasn't seen her since her temper tantrum 17 years before. Gradually, she discovers what she really wants is what she has denied herself; Matt and a life where she didn't turn out to be a nasty person.
Despite all the extras that crowd on to this single dual layer disc, "13 Going on 30" looks terrific. Overall, the picture quality is stellar and the 5.1 sound makes you want to dance along to the music from the 80's no matter how bad it really was.
Boy did this girl go shopping. Included in this bag of treats from the most fashionable haunts of Hollywood are 18 deleted/extended scenes, a blooper reel, two vintage music videos that play prominent roles in the film (although Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is missing). The two featurettes are the most fun. We get to see the stars of the film when they were 13 and get their take on how geeky they were when they were that age. It's charming and fun to see Jennifer Garner in her band uniform and Ruffalo going on about his bad fashion sense. We also get a "Making of" featurette which is pretty good and gives some insight into some of the complex themes buried beneath this busy comedy. The most fun, though, are the last two features. "The 80's Outfit Challenge" allows you to piece together the "ultimate" outfit based on the standards of the time. We also get "Then and Now" which compares current modern conveniences to their 80's counterparts. The blooper reel isn't bad but it doesn't have the bust-out-loud quality that many of these do.
With two excellent commentary tracks featuring director Gary Winick and producers Susan Arnold & Donna Arkoff Roth (both the daughters of film people-Arnold is the daughter of director/producer Jack Arnold while Arkoff Roth is the daughter of z-movie king Samuel Z. Arkoff), the commentary tracks are more than a cut above the norm with fun, witty asides and interesting insights into the making of the movie, Garner's performance and other tidbits.
A very funny comedy of errors, "13" excels primarily due to Garner and Ruffalo's strong performances and the able support of Judy Greer and Andy Serkis. Ironically, "13" has the same weaknesses as "Big" did with a story that's a little too familiar and pat in its conclusion. Still, it's a fun entertainment that will keep you chuckling.
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