Common Sense Media Review
Touching, hilarious coming-of-age romcom.
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13 Going on 30
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 29 parent reviews
Based on 90 kid reviews
Kids say this film is a mixed bag, with many reviews emphasizing that it features inappropriate content, including sexual references and swearing, making it unsuitable for younger children. However, some viewers appreciate its relatable themes about growing up, friendship, and the consequences of popularity, citing it as a cute, fun, and heartwarming movie for tweens and older teens, provided appropriate discussions about its content are had.
- inappropriate content
- relatable themes
- sweet and fun
- suitable for teens
- good messages
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
A girl who suffers total humiliation at her 13th birthday party wishes she could be 30—and, somehow, it comes true. In 13 GOING ON 30, Jenna (Jennifer Garner) wakes up to a grown-up face and figure in a swanky Manhattan apartment. This foreign world around her raises some questions: Where are her parents? Who's the guy in her shower who seems to know her a little too well? Jenna races out of the building in her pajamas, only to have a woman who seems to know her tell Jenna to get into a limo and then talk a mile a minute about some job she seems to have as editor of Poise magazine. Jenna starts to realize that she may have gotten what she wished for, but is it all that it's cracked up to be? She tracks down her very best childhood friend, Matt (Mark Ruffalo), who's now a photographer. When he tells her he hasn't seen her since high school, she begins to understand that in order to become what she wished for, she's lost some of the things that mattered most.
Is It Any Good?
This romcom offers some bright moments and nicely understated humor, despite all of the expected collisions between the lives of the 13- and 30-year-old characters. But what really makes 13 Going on 30 work is Garner, who's enormously touching and hilarious as a young teen living in the body and life of a grown adult. She's wonderfully open and vulnerable, handling it all lightly and with a lot of charm. Ruffalo, as always, adds class and sweetness to the best friend role and has impressive delicacy in providing romantic interest for someone who is, after all, emotionally just 13 years old. The two perfectly capture the awkwardness and angst that many of us feel as we try to figure out who we want to be—and that's at any age.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the reality of being a grown-up is different than it appears to a child. What was the biggest surprise for Jenna in 13 Going on 30? How are mature topics like drinking and sex addressed?
How does the story show the importance of compassion and integrity? Why are those important character strengths?
Talk about the way middle schoolers treat one another—and how to make sure that you don't grow up with the kind of regrets that Jenna does. Is/was there a popular clique in your school?
Can you think of other movies that have a similar plot device?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 23, 2004
- On DVD or streaming : August 3, 2004
- Cast : Jennifer Garner , Judy Greer , Mark Ruffalo
- Director : Gary Winick
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Columbia Tristar
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Integrity
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some sexual content and brief drug references
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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