13 Going on 30

Listen, don't ask me why I started watching this when it came on television. Yeah, I watched the entirety of the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30.

I actually saw this movie probably more times that I've ever wanted to see when I was younger. My sisters really liked this movie, and my mom is always reminded of my sisters from this movie, so this movie was on... a lot when I was younger. You might say that it was a little bit of nostalgia that made me keep this movie on and watch the entire thing. But does it hold up. I mean this movie came out in 2004, it is older than a decade by this point.

13 Going on 30 begins in the year 1987. Jenna Rink is having her 13th birthday. She of course has the best friend Matt who is obviously in love with her, but Jenna has her heart set on being a part of the cool crowd and is pretty oblivious to the fact that he is crazy about her and accepts her for who she is.

I'll just come out and say it, this set up is a little bit on the nose. Jenna in 1987 is not so much a character as she is an archetype. She's the girl who just wants to be popular. There's not really anything relatable for great about her, we just know she's really focused on being popular and she really likes stuff in the 80s... that's kind of a running joke actually.

Well after an embarrassing episode with the popular crowd, she wishes, unknowingly with the help of some... wishing dust? to be 30 instead of 13.

And next thing you know, Jenna is waking up and she is suddenly Jennifer Garner.

The thing about this movie is that Jennifer Garner actually does a pretty good job in portraying a 13 year old girl in the body of a 30 year woman. It is a little bit of a hyperbole as to create comedy. But at the same time, Garner is actually kind of entertaining.

The majority of the film is Jenna trying to piece together what has happened to her since she was 13. She runs into old friends (played by Judy Greer) and of course she runs into Matt (played by Mark Ruffalo).

As they piece together what happened in Jenna's past, she figures out the things that she has done while working at a magazine that is having some problems, led by her eccentric boss Andy Serkis and has some fun all around.

The movie itself is really just a comedy about growing up and how if you're a kid, you shouldn't want to grow up too quickly.

As I've stated before, its a romantic comedy so a lot of it is trying to figure out what Jenna wants, who she wants, and the person that she wants to become.

Like I said, its a fun performance by Garner and you can tell that Garner is having fun while she's doing it.

Bruce Banner is in this movie. Believe it or not, this was the first exposure I had of Mark Ruffalo and he does a pretty good job. I won't say that he blows my mind in this performance but he's kind of fun but he does a good job at playing the romantic interest who's not exactly your stunningly handsome male lead in a romantic comedy like this.

This is also the first exposure I had to Judy Greer. It was actually kind of fun knowing her from something before she got "big" in things like Arrested Development, Archer, and other stuff. To me she'll always kind of be the quirky friend or "antagonist" of a lot of romantic comedies as opposed to actually being in a lot of raunchy comedy TV shows. Don't get me wrong, I like her in those roles, I actually think she's pretty funny, but this she's just the friend.

This is probably going to be a shorter review as romantic comedies are not exactly my area of expertise. I think in comparison with a lot of other romantic comedies 13 Going on 30 is a good time with a good cast and a good premise.

I think romantic comedies can be kind of fun and can be creative. They can also be pretty generic and can be pretty stale.

Is 13 Going on 30 a great movie? No, not at all. Its cheesy, its more likely going to appeal to people like my mom or my sisters and that's okay, its not exactly marketed to a guy like me. However, I can say that it was a little bit of a good time.

Garner is not only gorgeous but she seems to be having a good time. While Mark Ruffalo kind of seems like he's not exactly 100% in it, but he's serviceable. Judy Greer and Andy Serkis are fun enough in this film and the premise itself is kind of fun.

And that's really what this movie is, serviceable. Its not phenomenal, its not ground breaking, but its not bad. Maybe its just that I enjoyed a girly romantic comedy more than I enjoyed Transformers 4, but if you have a date night and need a cheesy romantic comedy, 13 Going on 30 might be a good choice for you.

But those are my brief thoughts on 13 Going on 30. What do you think about it? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @cmhaugen24 and let me know what you think of 13 Going on 30. You can also send me your requests for future reviews. You can also follow me to get updates on movie news and reviews.

I'll leave you with this. There's not exactly a lot of hilarious things about Jennifer Garner, especially in recent news, but here's a funny video of her on Jimmy Fallon where she gets pied. Enjoy!