1.5/4  13 Going On 30
I really enjoyed the beginning, and the end, as I could relate better, as the girl was my age, and it was really funny. So even though when she was suddenly 30, it was funny too, I didn't really enjoy it as much. I would have loved it if t... (read full)

0.5/4  Yeah in your dreams pal
A "safe" film to see with mom but we both hated it. Jen Garner is usually stupid and it's no different here. Mark Ruffalo must have needed to pay some bills, because usually he is way more excellent or rather the material is. Avoid at all ... (read full)

2.5/4  13 Going on 30 Quick Review
This is, in essence, a female version of Big. It has a certain charm - Jennifer Garner plays the role with wide-eyed wonder, but I can't help that I've already seen this, and done better. A nice try, but doesn't reach any new heights.

2.5/4  13 Going on 30 Quick Review
I have to admit this was a really good movie. I love the 80's and Jennifer Garner is not too shabby. I would relate this movie to a modern version of Big.

2.5/4  13 Going on 30 Quick Review
Kind of a cute movie that has some good moments. Garner is hot, but the story is unoriginal. I think most would enjoy watching it as a date movie, but don't get too excited about it.

5/5 I love this movie!
  by Warm in the NW (Vancouver, WA)
The first time I saw this movie, I was amused but not blown away. However, parts of it stuck in my memory and I'd catch it when it was on TV. Finally it really grew on me and I knew I needed to own it! Now every time I watch this movie, it just makes me enjoy it that much more. Although it's been compared to the Tom Hanks movie "Big," it takes a different perspective and has a much different outcome. Lots of fun for us girls...guys may enjoy it for its insight into the way girls think. And - if you grew up in the 1980s, you will get a huge kick out of reliving the music/dancing from that generation. Watching the cast dancing to "Thriller" was my favorite part. This is a must for your collection of "good time" entertainment.

5/5 fun & flirty
  by Mayra G. Velez
fast service & excellent condition, what more could i ask for? thank u very much:)

5/5 Cute movie to watch with your daughter
  by Jean Turco (Philadelphia, PA)
Jennifer Garner is a wonderful actress and she truly "Sparkles" in this movie about a somewhat awkward 13-year-old girl from the 80's who wishes she was 30 in order to be like he cool kids. The plot is similar to the Tom Hanks movie "Big" but in this movie the main character is living in her 30 year-old body in the 00's with the mind of a 13 year-old from the 80's. Mark Ruffalo is her unassuming leading man and he brings more heart to this already enjoyable film. The movie reflects the moral of "Don't Judge a Book By its Cover." Jennifer Garner's character finds this out and she is able to use this knowledge to change her life.
My teen-aged daughter borrowed this movie from a friend and I loved it the first time I saw it. It was wonderful to be able to sit and watch a movie with my daughter that wasnt' full of sex and violence and jokes that I didn't have to explain or feel embarassed about. The music was nostalgic to me and made me remember my own good times from the 80's.

4/5 Fun, heartwarming and charming... the 2004 romantic comedy looks great on Blu-ray. Check it out!
  by Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
When this film came out back in 2004, I felt it was a fantastic romantic comedy. Romantic, charming and enjoyable.

With two great performances by Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, there were many things that made this film so enjoyable. From the beautiful locations the film was shot in New York, a funny but touching storyline but also that 80's style, may it be the clothing or the music of that time and with one of the most memorable dance scenes in a film with everyone jamming to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", "13 going on 30 is all out fun!

Here we are five years later and with two DVD releases, the popular romantic comedy will now be released on Blu-ray. So, I'm sure many of you who owned a previous version of the film on DVD maybe wondering, if this Blu-ray release is worth it? Read on!


VIDEO & AUDIO:

"13 going on 30 is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). Video quality is clean and the film looks very good. But picture quality is not super colorful in terms of eye popping visuals but overall, this film looks even greater on Blu-ray. Personally, I think this is the test transfer we will probably see of this film for years to come. Also, with so much outdoor shots featuring both Garner and Ruffalo with their characters in different parts of New York City, Blu-ray definitely enhances the city compared to the DVD version.

As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD for English, French and Portuguese and 5.1 Dolby Digital for the other language tracks. The film is primarily dialogue and I don't recall hearing any uses of the rear channels for any outdoor ambiance for audio. The music definitely comes out clear and pronounced and livens up the room.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"13 going on 30 is literally packed with special features. Many of these were featured on the "Fun & Flirty Version" DVD but one featurette is exclusive to Blu-ray:
# Director's Commentary - This commentary features Director Gary Winick. Winick is one of those director's that you would love to hear his commentary because he expresses his true emotion of his feelings of the film, which parts of the film he would love to have reshot and really, getting good insight on the film. Especially the "Thriller" dance scene to the final ending.
# Producers Commentary - This commentary features Susan Arnold, Donna Arkoff Roth and Gina Matthews. Each of these three women giving their tidbits of the film, working with Director Gary Winick and working with the talent.
# Alternate Beginning and Alternate Ending - This was surprising because the characters that played Jenna and Matt were different actors and I am so glad this beginning and ending was not used in the final cut of the film.
# Deleted Scenes - A total of 18 deleted scenes featured.
# Blooper Reel - This is a fun blooper reel of the whole cast.
# The Making of a Teen Dream - This was the original featurette featured on the DVD versions. This was all about the making of the film and interviews with the director, producers and cast.
# Making of a Teen Dream: Another Take - This is exclusive to the Blu-ray and features more content such as Jennifer Garner actually having to do a slumber party with the 13-year-olds as part of her research for her character.
# I Was a Teenage Geek Featurette - This interview features the main actors and actresses of the film talking about their high school life with high school photos and all.
# 1980s "Fashion Flashback" Featurette - This is more or less a fashion flashback photoshoot and dressing up people with 80's fashion.
# Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" Music Video
# Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" Music Video
# Video Gallery - A photo montage from scenes in the film

The disc is also BD Live Enabled.

"13 going on 30 is just a fun romantic comedy that I have enjoyed countless times. Not because I'm a child of the 80's but I really enjoyed the charming performances by Garner and Ruffalo, the overall story, the music and the awesome shots of New York City. Everything came together for this film.

Although considered as a "date film' or a "Girl's Night Out" type of film, as a guy who enjoyed the film, you can't help be touched because of Ruffalo's portrayal of Matt. Guys get dumped or rejected by girls. That close bond you have with a female friend in high school or friends period, not always last through adulthood. And for Matty, you can literally sense the pain this guy goes through of having the girl he cared for (and eventually hurt him and abandoned him) in high school coming back to his life (especially when he's about to get married). So, there are many aspects that a guy can relate to in this film.

But was this film perfect? Not really. For music, by 1987, Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield", the Go-Go's "Head over Heels" and even Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" were old news and were released way before 1987. Music by that time was all about Bon Jovi, the Beastie Boys, Prince, The Jets and LL Cool J. But of course, people who didn't grow up during that time period probably wouldn't know that, so I guess it's not really important.

If you own the DVD, is it worth owning on Blu-ray? Of course, the Blu-ray version is featured in 1080p and the audio is featured in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. This is probably the best video and audio quality we will ever see of this film. But are there considerable difference from the DVD version. Not really. You're only getting one extra special feature on the Blu-ray versus the "Fun & Flirty version" on DVD. But if you don't own this film on DVD or if you have only the first version of the DVD, then this Blu-ray release is definitely worth it, especially if you enjoyed the film.

All in all, I enjoyed this film a lot. I enjoyed it back in 2004 and continue to enjoy it now even after watching it several times. "13 going on 30 is a romantic comedy that can be watched and enjoyed for many years to come. Definitely check it out!

3/5 13 Going on 30
  by James R. Williams (Cleveland, TN)
Jennifer Garner is a luminous actress with true screen presence, but in "13 Going on 30", her charms are put to shallow use and an otherwise perfect performance is wasted due to incompetent screenwriting. Instead of illuminating the script, Garner exists merely to distract audiences away from a tired plot that sees a thirteen-year-old girl named Jenna Rink, who by magic unknown to the audience, waking up to find that seventeen years have gone by and she is now thirty, lives in an apartment on Fifth Avenue, and is an editor of a New York fashion magazine called Poise.

We see actors in body-switching formulas all the time from Tom Hanks in "Big" to Jamie Lee Curtis in the 2003 remake of "Freaky Friday", but these movies were a lot more fun than "13 Going on 30". This is not Garner's fault; there is never a moment that she is not giving it her all. She has the acting chops to equal Hanks and Curtis's work, but the script never allows her to truly shine.

Over the course of the story, there are ample opportunities to turn the spotlight towards her. Unfortunately, the plot is more concerned about the happenings at the magazine office than it is with Jenna's sudden transition into adulthood. If screenwriters Cathy Yuspa and John Goldsmith, who penned the better 2000 supernatural office comedy, "What Women Want", had seen these obvious structural errors, they would have had a far superior film on their hands.

We first meet Jenna Rink (played in the early scenes by Christa B. Allen) on the day of her thirteenth birthday. She longs to be popular, even if it means being pushed around by Lucy "Tom-Tom" Wyman, leader of the "Six Chicks", an exclusive high school clique. After Jenna becomes the subject of a mean prank at her birthday party (concocted by Lucy), she blames her only real friend Matt, an awkward kid who lives next-door and secretly has a crush on her. Before long, Jenna is hiding in her basement closet wishing to be "thirty, flirty, and thriving" and thanks to a sprinkling of magic dust, her wish is granted.

Once in her adult body, Jenna learns that she is still friends with Lucy (Judy Greer), who now works with her at Poise, but she has not spoken to Matt since the day of her thirteenth birthday. From this point on, the story keeps the undertakings at Poise in full focus and any spare time finds Jenna attempting to make amends with Matt, who is now handsome, successful, and engaged.

The absence of logic is not the problem here. I can accept the magical forces in "13 Going on 30"; it is the ensuing storyline that inspires my indifference. I am more concerned with watching Garner have fun with the Jenna Rink character than I am with the goings-on at Poise. Ultimately, the audience is only left with flickers of her brilliance, and that is the one and only reason to see the movie.