13 Going on 30 is a 2004 romance/fantasy film that follows the story of Jenna Rink, who after total humiliation at her thirteenth birthday party, wants to simply hide away until she's thirty. Thanks to some wishing dust, Jenna's prayers are answered. With her ideal body, a dream apartment, a fabulous wardrobe, an athlete boyfriend, a dream job, and superstar friends, she believes this can't be a better life. Unfortunately, Jenna realizes that this is not actually what she wanted or desired. The only one that she needs is her childhood best friend, Matt, a boy that she thought destroyed her party. But when she finds him, he's a grown up, and not the same person that she knew. In my opinion 13 Going on 30 is a sweet romantic comedy that will appeal to a wide range of viewers as the age rating is only 12 and over and is generally funny and entertaining. This film sends a great message to young viewers as although Jenna wishes to be '30, flirty and thriving', the movie highlights the importance of living in the moment and being grateful for what you have, when you have it. Jenna needed to want Matt in her 30s (but not be able to have him) to fully appreciate him. She needed to see how cruel her dream life was to realize that it may not be what she wants after all.
This movie is a perfect example of a 'chick-flick' and is directed by Gary Winick, an American film maker who also directed Bride Wars, a 2009 romance/comedy film starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. 13 Going on 30 stars Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink and Mark Ruffalo as Matt Flamhaff as well as some other famous faces. This movie includes some very predictable aspects when it comes to the romance part of the genre, such as the overly happy ending and the love triangle. However, I think that the fantasy element of this adds something that is different from traditional romcoms (such as Clueless or Legally Blond) and makes it stands out as the plot is unforgettable and adds some individuality.
The soundtrack for the movie mostly contains music from the 1980s with a range of hits from famous recording artists such as Talking Heads, Billy Joel, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston. The inclusion of these famous tracks allows a range of emotions to be portrayed throughout the movie such as sadness, happiness and and an overall feeling of romance. Also the fact that some of these songs are extremely recognisable would attract an audience.
To conclude, in my opinion I would definitely recommend 13 Going 30 as it is one of my favourite movies that overall creates a joyful feeling every time you watch it and is generally a feel-good romcom that evokes a range of emotions to any one that takes the time to watch and enjoy it.
I'm old enough to remember a Disney 'made for TV' film called 14 going on 30 which had a slightly different storyline but was based loosely on the trope of the 'bodyswap' films that were very popular during the 80s - like Vice Versa and the brilliant Big - which themselves had a lot to owe to the 1970s Disney classic Freaky Friday. There have also been a number of reboots and remakes of varying different standards.
I must admit that I haven't seen this one - but from the trailer it looks fun and Jennifer Garner looks like she can do the kid trapped in an adults body skit fairly well. There's always at least one creepy scene in…