13 Going On 30 (2004)
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A 13-year-old girl's wish to be older leads her to wake up as a 30-year-old woman in the modern world.
The story
In 1987 in New Jersey, nerdy 13-year-old Jenna Rink yearns to be popular. After a series of events involving her friends and a gift from her neighbor Matty Flamhaff, she makes a wish to be 'thirty and flirty and thriving' while magic wishing dust falls on her. The next morning, she awakens as an adult in a luxurious apartment in 2004. She has no memory of the intervening seventeen years and finds herself working as a fashion editor for her favorite magazine, Poise. She must navigate her new adult life while trying to figure out who she has become and reconnect with her past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1987, 13-year-old Jenna Rink makes a wish to be 'thirty and flirty and thriving' and wakes up in 2004 as a 30-year-old fashion editor. She discovers her adult life is complicated: she is estranged from her parents, has a complicated relationship with her co-editor Lucy (who is actually a former friend), and is working for a magazine facing a rival. She finds her childhood friend Matty, now a struggling photographer, and they begin to reconnect. After a series of professional hurdles and personal revelations about her past actions as an adult, Jenna realizes she must choose between her current life and her true self. After a final confrontation with Lucy and a realization about her feelings for Matty, a magical shift occurs. Jenna awakens back in 1987 on her 13th birthday. With the knowledge of the future, she chooses to live her life differently, eventually marrying Matty and moving into a home that mirrors the dollhouse he gave her as a child.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Winick
- Writers
- Cathy Yuspa · writer; Josh Goldsmith · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Garner · Jenna Rink; Mark Ruffalo · Matt Flamhaff; Judy Greer · Lucy Wyman; Andy Serkis · Richard Kneeland
- Genres
- fantasy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- self-empowerment; nostalgia
- Tone and mood
- humorous; heartfelt
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; age swap; wish fulfillment
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the lead performance and the nostalgic atmosphere. It was also noted as a commercial success and a popular DVD rental.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 65% · scale: percentage · review count: 179; Metacritic · score: 57% · scale: percentage · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- MTV Movie Award · musical performance · nomination
- Production trivia
- A remake was announced for Netflix in 2026.; The film was shot in Los Angeles, New York City, and South Pasadena.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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