With just the right combination of humor and emotion, this lighthearted and easy-to-watch movie boasts a really powerful plot and cast of actors. It brilliantly captures the desires of middle school: the need to fit in, the need to mature, and the need to be popular.
When the story opens in 1987, Jenna is a 13 year old girl who is about to become a lady. The issue lies in the fact that adulthood is simply not coming soon enough. She is smothered by her nerdy parents, shunned by the popular people at school and the attractive boy she has a crush on, and doesn’t even know who she is. She was No longer content to spend time only with her best friend and neighbor, Matt Flamhaff.
Humiliated by the cool kids, she locks herself in the closet wishing to be older.Her wish miraculously comes true. When Jenna comes out of the closet the following day, she is thirty years old and it is 2004.
What more, she is a very successful (Jennifer Garner) woman who has a fantastic career and a magnificent Fifth Avenue apartment. At last, she is stylish and well-liked, Right?
Jenna quickly discovers that Matt is missing from the picture. She is shocked to learn that she is no longer in contact with Matt (Mark Ruffalo) and that he is engaged to be married when she searches for him online. After realizing that having it all is insufficient, Jenna chooses to give her first love another go. Now her biggest wish is that it’s not too late.
It’s a beautiful story about wanting to fit in at school and discovering later in life that things aren’t always as they seem. In the lead part, Jennifer Garner excels, and Mark Ruffalo is also wonderful; they have a terrific chemistry on film. The clothes were exquisitely designed for each era, including the exaggerated makeup of the 1980s, and the music, which spans from Rick Springfield to Michael Jackson, is fantastic because it captures the nostalgic aurora.
Like Jenna, I have also spent a great deal of time wishing I was older and frequently ignoring the chapter I was in at the time in favor of the next. If I could have had a magical dollhouse when I was thirteen, I’m sure I would have wished I was older as well.”13 Going on 30″ is a heartwarming tale about accepting people for who they are, forgiving others, and finding the good in any situation. I will always find comfort in this movie, and I suggest it to everyone looking to see a movie from the early 2000s. A definite 10/10 golden jem to watch.
