Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-17 04:02:03

best date movie in a long time

This movie was awesome. It was practically squeaky clean. I took my sons to see this film with me and I was not dissapointed. The rating was appropriate and we had a good time. I am thirty one and became very nostalgic hearing alot of my fav's from the 80's. I even sang along! I found the movie sweet, silly, and poignant at times. I laughed, cried, and got very emotional when I thought that they (Garner and Ruffulo) might not end up together in the end. I found Ruffulo to be very cute and lovable and very right for the part. I am totally into romance and fantasy and put together, these two elements make for a wondeful movie. I thought my fifteen + dollars were well spent.

Anjewel 2013-05-16 18:12:21

A breath of fresh air.

I'm not one for chick flicks at all. But I loved this film to bits! Ilove the innocent take of a child in an adults life and how importantit is to make the most of your childhood. It was an eye opener when itcame to how much your life changes through and after school. And howthe people in your life don't necessary stay a part of it. Verynostalgic, but in a good way. Yes, the plot has been seen before, butit gave it's own individual profile, and pulled it off very well. Thecast was brilliant. It was funny, sweet, well put together and anoverall delight to watch. Recommend to anyone who loves to watchsomething that makes you smile. It's a very feel good movie.

2013-05-13 04:52:14

Bravo to 13 Going on 30 Excellent.

In an age where girls are being bombarded by the culture we live in, that deems a girls worth solely on her looks. This film goes beyond that and is a positive message for girls to be who they are, not what the world wants them to be . but shows that being nice and respecting yourself , family and others is the right place to be. that's what i got from it anyway. Great film, But i think the artwork for 13 going on30 is fun but lacking i prefer the special edition artwork better. Jennifer Garner is just wonderful in the role of Jenna Rink and Mark Ruffalo does a good job as Matt. If you like this film you ought to check out.( Just Like Heaven) it is also Excellent. This Film is PG-13 For some profanity, some sexual content. This film is not for young children as the case implies , but you can choose for yourself, that's a parent's job. Oh this film is in HD so the colors just pop out at you it's great. it works on regular tv but in HD it comes alive.Highly Recommended Film.P.S. What's funny about the clothes in this film are that Kids of the 80's like myself included wore alot of that stuff acid jean, the works, my sister had those belts it makes me laugh. Micheal Jackson was a big thing so was Madonna and Prince, Journey , The Cars, OMD, Depeche Mode, Human League , Huey Lewis And the News, Midnight Oil and The list goes on.

2013-05-12 22:13:38

Stick with the Special Edition version!

Despite the unoriginal premise (the movie Big recast with a woman), 13 Going on 30 is a very entertaining movie and this is due in large part to its star, Jennifer Garner, who brings to her role loads of charm. This movie is the perfect vehicle for the actress because it allows her to break away from the action hero persona that she cultivated with the T.V. show Alias and Daredevil and prove that she can do a romantic comedy.Garner, with her warm, disarming smile has a wholesome, girl-next-door quality that is quite endearing. She's beautiful but not in an unattainable way. She also has natural comedic ability, for example, in one scene, Jenna livens up her magazine's boring party with an impromptu dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," inspiring others to get up and dance as well. Garner also has a very expressive face that is perfect for the broad comedy of this movie. She is willing to take risks and make fun of herself. She is also willing to put herself out there and is not afraid to appear goofy and this only makes her that much more appealing.13 Going On 30 is the victim of the dreaded double dip. If you already own the Special Edition version of the movie, the two new extras hardly warrant a re-purchase. Also, if you already own the previous edition you might want to hold onto it as the audio commentary by director Gary Winick and the commentary by producers Gina Matthews, Donna Arkoff-Roth, and Susan Arnold is not on this edition.New to this edition is "Fashion Flashback: Into the 1980s" that features teen models gushing about how much they love the "retro" look of the `80s. It tells you what to look for and where to track down "authentic" clothes of that era."Making of a Teen Dream" takes us through the making of the movie in a fun, breezy way that is customary of most press kit type featurettes. The cast speak admiringly about each other in this self-congratulatory extra.There is a "Bloopers" reel, a collection of blown lines and other assorted goofs that are quite cute.Also included are two music videos, one for Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" and another for "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield that allows you to immerse yourself in pure `80s cheese.The most enjoyable extra is "I Was A Teenage Geek." The cast talk about what they were like in the `80s. Everyone tells amusing stories of what they were doing in high school with photos of what they looked like at the time.There is also an "Alternate Beginning and Ending" that features different actors playing Jenna and Matt when they were kids. The scene is about the same length as what is in the movie but is edited differently. We get more detail on Jenna's desire to be one of the popular girls. Thankfully, these were not used.Finally, there are 15 deleted scenes with more footage of Jenna and Matt at the magazine party and so on. These scenes flesh out the relationships between the characters.

Victor Field 2013-05-08 18:13:56

If you're not taken with Jennifer Garner after this, you probably never will be...

Even Jennifer Garner has admitted the debt "13 Going On 30" owes to"Big," so let's just a) consider how the movie works on its own meritsand b) be thankful that this movie is closer in quality to "Big" and"Vice Versa" than "Dream A Little Dream" or "Like Father, Like Son."Now that we've got that out of the way...At the end of the second season of "Alias," Jenny's Sydney Bristow wokeup to find herself in Hong Kong with two years having elapsed.Similarly, this movie has her character of Jenna Rink (hmmm...Jenna-Rink - close to "generic"... are writers Josh Goldsmith and CathyYuspa trying to tell us something?) waking up to find herself in astrange apartment with 17 years having elapsed, and in both cases shediscovers things about what she got up to in the intervening time thataren't to her liking. The resemblance ends there, however - well,barring the odd bit of (metaphorical) backstabbing, romance and so on. And barring further confirmation that she's less lost on the big screenthan several in her position; not only does this play like a real movieand not a custom-built vehicle, but her charm and playing keep themovie going (for all of the good points of "Alias," it doesn't take asmuch advantage of her warmth as this does). Not that the dimpled onedoesn't have any support from Mark Ruffalo as her childhoodfriend-turned-adult photographer and Andy Serkis as her editor, and notthat she isn't initially a bit over the top as the child-adult... butshe clicks the moment she exults over getting to ride in a limo (whichfortunately isn't too long in screen time after her wish has cometrue), and Jennifer continues to put doubt at bay throughout the restof the movie; from her exuberance in the "Thriller" scene (bonus:Serkis moonwalking... Sydney Bristow and Gollum shaking theirmoneymakers on the dance floor!) to her sorrow when she makes ahorrible discovery about herself, it's very much her movie. I fear this review might turn into what Americans call a "mash note" toJennifer Garner, so before I get into how justified her boyfriend'snickname for her is, let's talk about the rest of the movie. It's gotsome awkward ways of setting Jenna up as a teen of the 1980s, which getin the way of the effect; though she's 13 in 1987, the most prominenttunes associated with her are Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," PatBenatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" - not only does she quote it inconversation, but it plays over the end credits - and theaforementioned "Thriller"... all of which came out well before 1987 (wehear her singing Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight," which makesmuch more sense for a 13-year-old girl in 1987).But it's to be praised for avoiding the obvious get-out clause at theend, and it's never going to be confused for anything other than awarm-hearted, non-cynical comedy. Maybe a bit too warm-hearted (howmany magazines do you know that regularly dump celebs in favour of"real" people?), but a charmer all the same, and one that'll keepJennifer Garner fans going until "Elektra" and the new season of"Alias" arrive next year. (And enough Julia Roberts comparisons - JGcan do comedy, but can JR do action?)Oh yes, and her boyfriend's nickname for her? "Sweetbottom." I told youit was justified.

2013-05-08 09:35:17

A MUST SEE!!

This movie is hilarious! Be careful for what you wish for, or it just might come true. This movie is great for all ages! Even my mom loved it! It is a lauph out loud romantic comedy, that will teach your kids a few things! You have to order this movie, NOW!!

bob the moo 2013-05-03 08:34:23

Predictable but enjoyable and quite charming on its own terms

Jenna Rink is a nerdy, shy and unpopular girl, who even ends her own13th birthday party as an object of ridicule. In response she locksherself away wishing her childhood away and longing to be a successfuland sexy 30 year old. She wakes the next morning to find that she hasgot her wish and is 30 years old living in a swish New York City withan attractive boyfriend and a high-power job as a magazine editor. Theonly problem is that her last memory was her 13th birthday party andshe still has the attitude of 13 year old. So while everyone seems tohave known her as an adult for years, she struggles to come to termswith this sudden change.The title tells you everything you need to know about this film as itis simply a very slight twist on the many other "body swap" comediesthat Hollywood puts out every so often. Within this genre it does justwhat you expect it to do – Jenna struggles with her adult self andcauses all manner of confusion by still behaving as a child, beforelessons are learnt and all is right with the world etc. However I didcome into it expecting this and perhaps that helped me enjoy it becauseI didn't find myself complaining about how obvious it all was – maybe Ihad just accepted it as a genre piece with all the faults that comewith the "body swap" genre.As a genre film I found it to be quite delightful and I was quite takenby the breezy charm that it had. Of course narrative wise it isnonsense and at times I did find the "learning lessons" bits tooccasionally hit the screen with a clunk but, like Jenna it is quitesweet within its own little world. Credit where credit is due because,although some of this charm is in the script the vast majority of itcomes from a wonderfully selfless performance from Garner. She lookssilly at times and the story doesn't help her that much but mostly shemakes it work. Ruffalo isn't at his best but he has an easy charm tohim and has good chemistry with Garner that works well in the scenesthey share. The support cast is secondary to these two but they domostly do what is asked from them, specifically Greer and Serkis.Overall then this is a genre film and it is no surprise that the filmbrings with it all the predictability and weakness of the "body swap"genre. However once you accept this and get into it, you find thatmostly this is quite an enjoyable and charming little film – sure thematerial is clunky but it is a bit like Garner's performance in that itis a little silly but yet hard not to like.

antony-1 2013-05-02 16:29:01

A great, fun, enjoyable movie. Garner is brilliant as ever.

Naturally you know going into this film that this is going to be some lightromantic fluff, and the marketing made that quite clear. This isn't a filmthat was pretending to be something it wasn't. This is a film that doesexactly what it says on the tin, as it were.And it did it great. It was humourous, and overall very enjoyable. It didn'trock the boat too much, and didn't do anything terribly new. But thatdoesn't matter, it set out to tell an enjoyable story, and that's what itdid perfectly.I particularly liked its overall message. More and more we become serious,money-driven, work-driven, result-driven... I think, without sounding toosentimental, that we do take life too seriously a lot of the time and forgetwhat's important. This film was about finding our inner-child, and basicallyloosening up a bit. A message to which we really all should payattention.I should point out (in the interests of fairness) that I do officially loveJennifer Garner, there is no doubt about this. As an actress and as a womanshe is second to none. And admittedly, I do wonder if I'd have liked thisfilm half as much if it wasn't her. I did go to see the movie because shewas the lead. But really, this role was hers. Jennifer is just so likeable,and likeable plays well for her role in this movie.I left the movie happy, and in a great mood, which was nice. I watch plentyof movies that are deep, depressing or violent. And they're cool, I havenothing against them. But sometimes it's nice to have a slice oflight-hearted fun entertainment, and this was it.

2013-05-01 15:19:38

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...

This is an absolutely charming and delightful comedy with an excellent cast. Do not, however, see this film unless you are ready to suspend disbelief. After all, the premise of this film is that a distressed thirteen year old girl suddenly finds herself propelled into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.Jenna Rink is a typical teenager, a little gawky, a little insecure. She pals around with her uncool best friend, Matt Flamhaff, but, at the same time, is trying to make it into the cool six chicks clique at her school, a nasty little group of teenage hotties who use Jenna for what they can get from her. They agree to come to her thirteenth birthday party, if she will do a class report for their leader. She agrees.Matt is the first guest to arrive, and he gives her a little, doll sized dream house that he has made for her, replete with magic dust. When the other guests arrive, they soon depart with the needed report in hand, after playing a very mean trick on Jenna and leaving her desolate. A set of circumstances causes the magic dust to fall upon Jenna, just as she makes a wish that finds hers transported into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.Jenna discovers that she now has every thing for which she had dreamed when she was thirteen. She also discovers how she has changed, and it is not a change for the better. She turns to Matt, whose friendship, she is shocked to find, has been lost somewhere along the way. Jenna then sets about putting to right what went wrong. Of course, there are any number of humorous incidents that arise out Jenna's current situation.Jennifer Garner is sensational as a thirteen year old girl trapped in the body of a thirty year old woman. She infuses the role with just the right amount of innocence and joyous abandonment that teenagers often exude. Kittenish and coltish all at once, her charm is infectious. Mark Ruffalo is perfectly cast as the grown-up Matt. He exudes sensitivity and niceness, all rolled into one very compelling package. One cannot help but like both characters tremendously.This is an entertaining film for those who enjoy light-hearted fantasy films. This film has been compared to the film, "Big", and while there are some similarities between the two, this film stands on its own two feet and deserves its own accolades. Deft direction by Gary Winnick and excellent performances by the entire cast make this film a comedic gem to be enjoyed by those who like a charmingly realized film.

aliasswimmrcc43 2013-05-01 05:37:31

AMAZING!!!

A pleasure for all ages, 13 Going on 30 won a spot in my top fivefavorites.With Jennifer Garner being my favorite actress, plus an amazing cast toback her up, this film will be sure to steal your heart. A love storywitha kick, it delivers comedic moments, and unexpected surprises. Throughoutthe 87 minutes of this movie, you will be swept away through 17 years ofJenna Rink's life that just fly by...literally! after wishing to beolder,she begins to realize how hard being 30 really is. She relies on oldfriends to get her together and help her get through. A must on the listfor spring 2004!~Stacy, 14

jonmon 2013-04-30 02:13:50

Jon Monsarrat review: pretty good for a generic

There's nothing special about 13 Going on 30. It's fairly generic andpredictable. But they avoid making it totally campy, and since I'm a 35year old male, just my being able to enjoy it was a nice surprise. Asgood films do, it doesn't dwell on the premise (time travel) which isobviously silly. But neither does the film say much about personalchoices. Our protagonist simply makes all the right choices throughoutthe film, which leaves the viewer wondering how she could have screwedup so badly in the alternate timeline -- personally, I just didn't buyit. And there's a big plot thread left unresolved at the end of thefilm, regarding the magazine.Jennifer Garner was great. I think she made the film. Unfortunatelythere wasn't that much film to make. I'm looking forward to her beinggiven a more substantive dramatic role.Who should see this film:-- Teenage girls-- Everyone else, go see Freaky Friday and Mean Girls instead-- Magazine editors with an attack attitudeI'll give "13 Going on 30" a 6 out of 10, sort of a bonus 5.

Puppyangelz11 2013-04-29 12:12:41

13 going on 30(Jennifer Garner)

Jenna Rink was a normal 12 year old..she had friends and she had....enemies. She never knew that the day she turned 13 would be the day herlife would change. For her 13nth birthday Matt, her best friend cameover her just a little while before Jenna thought her 'real' partywould be with the popular crowd. Jenna just didn't realize she wasunliked and they just wanted to ruin her life. So anyway, Mattremembered that she always wanted a doll house so he built her one. Healso gave her some wishing dust....he poured it on top of the dollhouse.So what do you think will happen you will either have to guess, or gowatch the movie!!This movie was pretty good..... kinda of reminded me of the movie "Big"But was way better!!I give this Movie 8/10 stars!

simon-trek 2013-04-22 23:56:55

"Jennifer Garner in the most wonderful performance of her career"

This is an entirely new kind of movie for Jennifer, it's a big change fromher action-girl roles such as agent Sidney Bristow in 'Alias' or as Elektra inDaredevil. This film is one of the most delightful comedy's I've ever seen.It will leave you both laughing and crying at the same time. The film begins with this young girl named Jenna who is having quite anunhappy childhood. Even her 13th birthday doesn't go wright for her. As abirthday present she's given this magic dust and wishes that she were 30years old. The next thing she knows, she's a 30 year old woman living in anapartment with this "naked guy" because she first saw him when he walked out of theshower! She also has this job as a magazine editor which she doesn't evenknow about. So now Jenna is trying to piece together what has happened toher while at the same time she finds it kind of cool being a 13 year old in anadult woman's body. This film has a lot of dancing, a lot of romance, a lot of laughter and alot of great dancing music. Just listening to the music made me feel like dancing in thecinema. The is also quite emotional as Jena tries to piece together andlearn from mistakes she has made when she was a child and ultimately give herselfthe life she wants.All together this is a most delightful film to see Jennifer in, before shereturns to cinemas early next year as the deadly assassin: Elektra.

2013-04-22 07:21:51

The Best Femme Movie Ever

I hate chickflicks. Plain and simple, There have been maybe 4 movies for chicks that have been anywhere near good. And "13 Going on 30" is by far top of the heap.This is, in essence, a retread of "Big" for girls, and boy does it work. What could have turned out to be a pretty stale execution is amazingly transformed by the astounding acting of Jennifer Garner, who is probobly the most beautiful, talented and versatile actress since Julia Roberts. Garner is destined for HUGE things im sure, and rightfully so. Shes beautiful, luminous, hillarious and warm in her role as Jenna Rink in this fluffy and hearty romantic comedy which will have all those with a heart in tears by the end. The story is touching, Judy Greer and Andy Serkis is also great , but this is one movie which really is carried on the back of its central star, and Jennifer Garner was the perfect choice.I truly hope shes the next Julia Roberts, shes simply and amazing actressHUGELY recommended, if you see one chick flick in your life, make it "13 going on 30"

megryan2005 2013-04-22 14:31:32

Wetness Filled My Eyes

For the first time, wetness filled my eyes when I had just seen acomedic movie, as a man. It is a love movie better. Love is the commonlanguage in our world, no matter you are a Chinese or an American.Maybe some people keep their opinion that, as Chinese boys and girls,we come to maturity somewhat later than American counterpart. But infact whatever you are, you are more likely to understand true love whenyou are 30, rather than 13. This movie made me weep fully because ofits touching and moving power. It will teach me, as well as whoever hasseen it, how to love. I'm sure that, no matter you are a man or awoman, you can learn something from it. Especially when you are aso-called man or woman, maybe about 20 years old, when you have alwaysbeen trying to get rid of your parents' advice or have run into asomewhat self-serving dream for a beautiful life but can't take thecorresponding commitment and responsibility at the same time, thismovie will let you have a imagine how you will choose 10 years later,when you will have been a true man. Love makes this world and everyonein it warm. Respecting your love choice is respecting yourself and yoursweet heart, more directly, it will make you happy for your whole life.It is an excellent movie, recommended!

ehutson2001 2013-04-22 09:05:17

Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo both aced it!

This has automatically become one of my all-time favorite movies!I wasn't really familiar with either Mr. Ruffalo or Ms. Garner beforeseeing this movie (although I had seen "Alias" a time or two). But thismovie made me an instant fan of both of them, and made me anxious tocheck out some of their other performances.Mr. Ruffalo does a terrific job of the "guy-next-door" and "anythingfor a friend" parts.And Ms. Garner! All I can say is "Wow!" With the mannerisms and facialexpressions, she made it easy to believe that there was actually a13-year-old girl trapped in that body!The story was charming (if a little far-out) and I applaud the songsfrom the eighties that they used. ("Vienna" by Billy Joel has alwaysbeen one of my favorites). Do yourself a favor - go see this one a.s.a.p.Did I mention that Jennifer Garner deserves a big "Wow!"?

2013-04-21 18:30:07

Great Movie

This movie has wonderful 80s songs and great moments for pulling your heartstrings. The one moment where Matt says "I have always loved you" will make you cry.

2013-04-20 23:31:28

I think it's a pretty good movie

I think this was a pretty good movie, it's one i don't regret buying. Mark Raffalo is always fun to watch, and so is Jennifer Garner in my opinion. I would recommend this to most people, although if you dislike any movie where the plot is kind of obvious, than you probably won't like this one. I consider this movie one of those where at the end of it you're thinking "well that was a really cute ending" or something like that.I would like to point out that this movie is quite a bit different from "BIG". I see a lot of people have compared the two. To me, the biggest difference between those two movies is that in "BIG" the kid-turned-grownup ends up sleeping with a girl who is twice his age {but she doesn't even know that because he appears to be her age} which I find absolutely disgusting, but that's just me. 13 Going on 30 has nothing that offensive in it.but anyway that's my opinion, so now it's up to you if you'd like to buy this movie or not. =)

CitizenCaine 2013-04-15 21:35:17

Garner Carries Film With Familiar Formula

Sometimes a formulaic movie rises above its material due to the charmand performance of its star. 13 Going On 30 is one such movie. We'veseen this plot before in Big with Tom Hanks and in its numerousfollowers the last 15 years. We have a female version of Big this time,starring the wonderful Jennifer Garner from ABC's Alias. It'simpossible not to like her performance, which is charming, heartfelt,full of wide-eyed innocence, and star-making. It's clear from watchingthis film that Ms. Garner is headed for major roles in the future.While the film seems geared toward a female teenage demographic,there's plenty of wish fulfillment to go around for guys too. I meanwho wouldn't want to be Mark Ruffalo in this film? To have a hot girllike Jennifer Garner calling you Matty and trying to make things up toyou is enough for any male to maintain interest. The 13 year old Jennawishes she was 30 when her birthday party goes awry and she blames iton her best friend Matty(Ruffalo). At 30, she wakes up as JenniferGarner, and is forced to try to make sense of what's going on. In thespirit of the better recent body switch movies, like Freaky Friday withLindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, 13 Going On 30 isn't just a moviewith comical results. There is also sort of a moral to learn, whichmakes the film all the more endearing. Sure there are several parts tothe movie that require an enormous suspension of disbelief, such as howJenna goes from 13 to 30, how Matty would even want to bother with herat 30, working with her magazine colleagues with a 13 year old brain,and especially what she proposes to revamp the magazine she works for.Do we really believe the public is ready to discard celebrity gossipand layouts in favor of ordinary people? Do 13 year old girls reallywish they were 30 at times? I'm not so sure about that. However, thecomplications that ensue via the charming Garner captivate us, and makeus yearn for a second chance for something in our pasts too. We can allidentify with that. The dance sequences weren't as fun as they wereintended to be; because, most of the songs in the film were releasedlong before Jenna would have turned 13 in the movie, making them seemout of sync with her time line. Garner's bounce and energy were enoughto carry this film, which is above average of its type. *** of 4 stars.

2013-04-15 09:19:12

Garner Is Luminous, Winsome & Simply Terrific As Jenna Rink

This film is incredibly uplifting, and wonderfully entertaining.Jennifer Garner has a sensational capability and talent for comedy; who knew she was such a gifted performer? While the supporting cast is uniformly excellent (everyone), (Ruffalo is just super as Matty), the film soars principally because Garner is so unbelievably believable as a pseudo-adolescent-wannabe-adult.One of the best (overlooked) films of 2004.