DVD Movie Rating for: 13 Going on 30 starring Jennifer Garner

Rating 3 out of 5 stars

Movie Plot of: 13 Going on 30

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.

DVD Production Details of: 13 Going on 30

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo

Director: Gary Winick

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby

Aspect Ratio(s): 1.85:1

Audio Encoding: Dolby Digital 5.1

Studio: Columbia Tristar Home
DVD Release Date: August 3, 2004
Run Time: 98

DVD Easter Eggs

None

Cast of the movie: 13 Going on 30

• Jennifer Garner .... Jenna Rink
• Mark Ruffalo .... Matt Flamhaff
• Judy Greer .... Lucy Wyman
• Andy Serkis .... Richard Kneeland
• Kathy Baker .... Bev Rink
• Phil Reeves .... Wayne Rink
• Samuel Ball .... Alex Carlson
• Marcia DeBonis .... Arlene
• Christa B. Allen .... Young Jenna
• Sean Marquette .... Young Matt
• Kiersten Warren .... Trish Sackett
• Joe Grifasi .... Mr. Flamhaff
• Mary Pat Gleason .... Mrs. Flamhaff
• Susan Egan .... Tracy Hansen
• Lynn Collins .... Wendy
• Renee Olstead .... Becky
• Alexandra Kyle .... Young Tom-Tom
• Alex Black .... Young Chris Grandy
• Ashley Benson .... Six Chick
• Brittany Curran .... Six Chicks
• Brie Larson .... Six Chicks
• Megan Lusk .... Six Chicks
• Julia Roth .... Six Chicks
• Jeffrey Shane Cohn .... Grandy's Friend
• George Hine .... Grandy's Friend
• Philip Pavel .... Phil
• Sarah Loew .... Carla
• Maz Jobrani .... Glenn
• Ian Barford .... Pete Hansen
• Benita Krista Nall .... Waitress at Party
• Robinne Lee .... Rachel
• Justin Burke .... 13-Year-Old Boy in Bar
• Sara Swain .... Sara
• Catherine Combs .... Catherine
• Gina Mantegna .... Gina
• Sydni Beaudoin .... Sydni
• Jim Gaffigan .... Chris Grandy
• Corzna Chase .... Poise Employee (as Corena Chase)
• Crystal Michelle .... Poise Secretary
• Madeline Sprung-Keyser .... Maddy
• Richard Whitebear .... DJ (as Swoop Whitebear)
• Shambo Pfaff .... Band Member
• John W. Grant .... Band Member (as John Grant)
• Fabrice Calmettes .... Band Member
• Eron Otcasek .... Band Member
• Kevin D. White .... Yearbook Photographer
• Timothy Anderson .... Dancer
• Adrian Armas .... Dancer
• Carmit Bachar .... Dancer
• Rita Maye Bland .... Dancer
• Douglas Caldwell .... Dancer
• Keith Diorio .... Dancer
• Nadine Ellis .... Dancer
• Janina Garraway .... Dancer (as Janina N. Garraway)
• Stacey Harper .... Dancer
• Brandon Henschel .... Dancer (as Brandon Nicholas Henschel)
• Michael William Higgins .... Dancer
• Katie Miller .... Dancer
• Nancy O'Meara .... Dancer
• Bubba Dean Rambo .... Dancer
• Caroline A. Rice .... Dancer
• Kevin Alexander Stea .... Dancer (as Kevin Stea)
• Michon Suyama .... Dancer
• Kadee Sweeney .... Dancer
• Natalie Willes .... Dancer
• Darrel W. Wright .... Dancer (as Darrel Wright)
• Kimberly Wyatt .... Dancer
• Jason Yribar .... Dancer
• Amber Gristak .... Rude Girl
• Bill Kotsatos .... Photo Shoot Grip
• Melody Krell .... Magazine Staffer
• Luis Pedron .... Matt's Photo Assistant
• James Pomichter .... Guy Hit by Shrimp
• Brad Tiemann .... Magazine Staffer
• Larry Vigus .... Guest

Photo Gallery of the movie: 13 Going on 30

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Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30

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Reviews of the movie: 13 Going on 30

Remember 'Big'? This is a similar premise, with a female lead instead of Tom Hanks. Jenna is 13 years old, she's having a hard time, she wants to be cool and one of the 'in' girls, but she's a bit of a nerd.

Her 13th birthday party is a disaster, and she is so distraught she makes a passionate wish that she was thirty and flirty and a success. She wakes up next morning to find that she's become a successful magazine editor, and gorgeous to boot. It's all very confusing to her, so she looks up her old school friend Mark to try and find out what happened to her, only to discover that she's become a prime bitch and hasn't spoken to Mark in years.

Luckily, the new 13 year old 30-year old is still in possession of a heart, so she tries to reverse the mistakes she's made.

This is not an original concept, nor is it a superlative movie. But it's lovely, mainly due to the wonderful Jennifer Garner, who is absolutely adorable as Jenna. She's funny and beautiful and so totally sympathetic you can't help but enjoy every moment of her screen time.

I've been a fan of hers since she first appeared in the TV series 'Alias', and it's lovely to see her on the big screen. She is definitely star quality. It's also great to see Andy Serkis, who is the man behind Gollum from 'Lord of the Rings' -- here he plays the camp magazine editor, and he's lots of fun. Mark Ruffalo is the love interest, and he's also very sympathetic. It's a small film with no pretensions, but it delivers laughs and heartache, and it's really very sweet.

Ask any 30-year-old woman if she'd like to be 13 again, and chances are she'll start laughing hysterically. The cliques, the self-doubt, the heartache — 13 is for chumps. So it's no wonder that, after a disastrous thirteenth birthday party in 1987, gawky Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) wishes with all her might that she could be "thirty, flirty, and thriving" (a phrase borrowed from her favorite magazine, Poise). Thanks to some sparkly wishing dust given to her by her besotted best friend Matty (Sean Marquette), Jenna gets her wish, waking up in a fabulous Manhattan apartment (and in Jennifer Garner's Alias-toned body) on the verge of her thirtieth birthday, with no memory of the last 17 years of her life. After her initial freak-out, Jenna starts getting a handle on her new life, and at first she likes what she sees. Not only is she pretty and well-dressed, but she's actually an editor at Poise — and to top it all off, her best friend is Lucy (up-and-comer Judy Greer), the coolest girl in kid Jenna's late-'80s world. But as the full details of her grown-up self emerge, Jenna quickly becomes disenchanted: It turns out she's a selfish, shallow bitch who doesn't mind trampling on people's feelings (or having flings with their husbands) if it helps her get what she wants. Scared and confused, Jenna turns to her old friend Matt (played by Mark Ruffalo as an adult) for help, only to discover that she dropped him like a hot potato shortly after unlucky #13. That convinces her that something went wrong somewhere, so she makes it her mission to get her life (and their friendship) back on track. Often called "Big for girls," 13 Going on 30 (2004) does have a lot in common with Penny Marshall's hit, not the least of which is a charismatic star in the lead. Jennifer Garner may not quite be in the same league as Tom Hanks, but she's got more than enough charm to carry a romantic comedy. By giving Jenna's emotions free reign in her expressions and body language, Jennifer Garner really makes us believe she's a teenager trapped in a grown-up's body. Ruffalo also does nice work as Matt, thawing inevitably as Jenna directs her charm at him, but afraid to have his heart broken again. Another stand-out in the supporting cast is Andy Serkis as Jenna's dapper boss, Richard. 13 Going on 30 isn't an instant classic like Big, but it's better than most of the romantic comedies coming out of Hollywood these days, and that's cause enough for celebration. Columbia offers the film in a nice anamorphic transfer (1.85:1) with strong Dolby Digital 5.1 audio (a French track is also available, as are English and French subtitles). The healthy extras list includes two commentaries (one by a trio of producers, the other by director Gary Winick), 18 deleted/extended scenes (mostly the latter), a run-of-the-mill "making-of" featurette, the amusing "I Was a Teenage Geek" featurette (Jennifer Garner et. al. recall their high school years), a so-so blooper reel, two interactive games, music videos for Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" and Rick Springfield's "Jessie's girl," a video still gallery, and previews. Keep-case.