I know there are those who think 13 Going On 30 is a rip-off of Big, just with a girl in the lead rather than a guy. Sure, there are similarities. But the angst of being a 13 year old girl, never being able to see all the great things about you, only the ways you’re just not cute enough or cool enough, has its own special cachet, and that’s what this movie captures so well. Garner is just gangly enough, even as the almost-30 year old Jenna, to be believable as a 13 year old in a 30 year old’s body. And watching her expressive face as she comes to realize that the life she has, the one she would have given anything for when she was 13, isn’t the life she really wants can be both charming and heartbreaking.
I’m not going to do a plot synopsis, but here are some of my favorite moments: grown-up Jenna’s slumber party with the teen girls in her apartment building (especially when they sing along with Pat Benatar’s “We Are Young”); Jenna getting dolled up for her first big night out as a grown-up; Jenna and Matty’s walks through NYC; and especially, most especially, Jenna saving her magazine’s dud of a party by getting everyone doing the “Thriller” dance. (One of the joys of the very easy scene selection on this Blu-ray is being able to play that over and over again.)
Garner, Ruffalo and Greer are all perfect in their roles. Andy Serkis is great as Jenna and Lucy’s boss, Richard. When he launches into a moonwalk, you’ll have trouble believing this is the guy who brought Gollum to life in the Lord of the Rings movies. (But it is!)
For me, the most affecting scene in 13 Going On 30 is when Jenna comes to terms with the fact that she won’t get her happy ending, and she’s able to accept it. That’s when she, and we, know that she really has grown up. Yay Jenna!
Lots of special features on the Blu-Ray. There are a number of deleted scenes, most of which are just longer versions of what made it into the film. (Nothing really noteworthy except the chance to see a lot more glitz in a sort of fashion show of Jenna choosing her party outfit.) There’s an alternate beginning and ending (with different kids playing young Jenna and young Matt). I definitely prefer the beginning they went with for the film; the alternate ending isn’t bad. There’s a short blooper reel, and a featurette that shows what good sports the leads are, because they allowed photos of themselves as geeky teenagers to be shown. (That one features Garner, Greer, Ruffalo and Samuel Ball, who plays grown-up Jenna’s boyfriend.)
There are two different making-ofs, one pretty standard told mostly from the perspective of director Gary Winick and the other from that of the female producers, which is much more about that 13 year old girl spirit they were hoping to capture. There’s also a featurette on 1980s styles; it wasn’t really clear to me what connection it had to the movie other than the timeframe. There’s also a gallery of stills from the set, and two audio commentary options, one with the director and one with the producers.
The best special features are two vintage music videos, both for songs that figure somewhat prominently in the film: Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” (talk about your 80s fashions, and choreography) and Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” If you were listening to pop music in the 80s, these two will take you back. (“Thriller” would have been a logical third choice, but I’m guessing the price tag was too high to include it.)
The film looks great in high def, and sounds even better. The video is 1080p with an 1:85.1 aspect ratio. Audio options are Dolby TrueHD 5.1 in English, French and Portuguese, and Dolby Digital 5.1 in Spanish and Thai. Subtitle options are English, Chinese (both traditional and simplified), French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese and Thai. The special features are in standard def with English stereo audio, but with all the subtitle options of the feature except for French and simplified Chinese.