RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / 13 Going on 30
13 Going on 30

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

13 Going on 30 (2004)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
64 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

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

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • 13 Going on 30 Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for 13 Going on 30

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The awkwardness of adolescence is timeless, and regardless of your age, you'll find something -- or many things -- to love in 13 Going on 30.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
04/23/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

Essentially a facsimile, and feels throughout like a movie content to imitate and borrow.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
04/23/04
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

When we first spy suburban washout Jenna Rink at the age of 13, the year is supposedly 1987 -- yet she's madly in love with Rick Springfield and has memorized the choreography to 'Thriller.'

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
04/23/04
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

It's nice to know that, Hanks or Garner, male or female, Big is still an idea that works, 16 years after it opened.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
04/23/04
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Frothier than the sweetest drink at Starbuck's and deft in the slapstick department, the actress turns a generic female version of Big into a raucously charming teen fairy tale.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
04/23/04
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger

It's a surprisingly charming and fresh comedy that only becomes painfully saccharine in its last 20 minutes.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/23/04
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post

Garner is so appealing as Jenna ... that she almost makes you forget you've already seen Tom Hanks endure similar travails in 1988's Big.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
04/23/04
Connie Ogle
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald

Makes no emotional or narrative sense.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
04/23/04
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Miraculously Garner survives all this, giving a vibrant performance that actually does suggest an awkward teenager in a 30-year-old's body.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
04/23/04
Loey Lockerby
Loey Lockerby
Kansas City Star

The script by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa is clever and Winick's direction and tone is breezy.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
04/23/04
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

It's not silly enough to be a youth comedy and not sophisticated enough to be a satisfying adult movie.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
04/23/04
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies

The lanky action star of the cult television series Alias is assigned a tired playbook in this film, but she finds room to manoeuvre in a performance that exceeds expectations.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/23/04
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

An engaging and wholly preposterous gumdrop of a film.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
04/23/04
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

It turns out Garner is a natural comedian with real presence. And, ultimately, her convincing performance is what makes 13 Going on 30 watchable.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/23/04
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It's cute, occasionally funny, and sweetly sentimental. Score some points guys, take your chick to this chick-flick.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
04/23/04
John Venable
John Venable
Supercala.com

Often 13 Going on 30's pleasures aren't deep so much as they are the trained responses to a push of our MTV-programmed buttons.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/23/04
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

You buy the magic because it comes with the territory. What I couldn't buy was the world of the magazine office, and the awkward scenes in which high-powered professionals don't seem to notice that they're dealing with a 13-year-old mind.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
04/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's looking for comedy and romance in the obvious places.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/23/04
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

Once you get past its inherent marshmallow fluffiness ... 13 Going on 30 does provide some genuinely diverting moments.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
04/23/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Even when its laughs aren't as (pardon the pun) big as they should be, '13' doesn't lose the audience, and that's mostly because its leading lady is so much fun to watch.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
04/23/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for 13 Going on 30

February 02, 2007: The Weekly Ketchup: Rachel McAdams In, Katie Holmes Out Of "Dark Knight," "Evil Dead" Remake, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, Katie Holmes won't be returning to the "Batman" franchise, with Rachel McAdams the early favorite to replace her in "The Dark... More...

January 25, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: "Epic" Comedy Battles Oscar's Finest
A quartet of poorly-titled films will hit the multiplexes on Friday hoping to grab some business opposite a string of acclaimed releases fresh from earning their Oscar nominations. More...

April 04, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: Charlotte's Web
It's not hosted in an "official" capacity, so if you want to be the first kid on your block to check out the brand-new trailer for "Charlotte's Web," you'll... More...

April 07, 2005: Robert Redford Gets Stuck in "Charlotte's Web"
More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit, LotR Blu-ray Source: Collider.com
5
  • Woman Jailed for Filming New Moon Screening Source: Chicago Sun-Times
5
  • McG Has Plans for Fifth and Sixth Terminator Movies Source: Gizmodo
21
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
162
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
79
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
55
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
30
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • 13 Going on 30 at Rotten Tomatoes
  • 13 Going on 30 at IGN
  • 13 Going on 30 at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.