"You don't always get the dream house, but sometimes you get pretty close, you know?"
13 Going On 30 follows Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) as she discovers that being 30 isn't all it's made out to be. This film teaches the audience what it means to live for the hope of it all, as well as what it means to heal your inner child as an adult.
I love this movie with all my heart. As someone who actively tries to incorporate pieces of my childhood into my life as an adult, I felt seen by Jenna's character. Wearing clothes that kinda look like you got them from Gymboree, doing makeup like you just got your hands on your mom's eyeliner pencil for the first time, and dancing like nobody's watching, Jenna Rink does what all of us are afraid to do.
Many of my friends, upon hearing I was using this film for this project, argued that this was more of a coming of age film than a rom com. While I agree that the main theme was more coming of age, I can't ignore the fact that Jenna's relationship with Matt (Mark Ruffalo) was a central catalyst for the majority of the movie. It's clear that Matt and Jenna have something unspoken between them that's brewing over the course of the film, and in the end, the happy ending is all about them living happily ever after. Also, you guessed it, this film has a full circle storyline!!!! The doll house, the kiss, it all comes back around and tugs on those heart strings.
Carrying on with the fact that this was more coming of age at the forefront, the comedy was a bit lacking. The humor in this film isn't the laugh out loud type, it's the cringe type, and that's ok. Watching 13 year old Jenna use a 30 year old body to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller at a work event was pretty hilarious, I won't lie. I just wouldn't overall say this film was funny. It was more so quirky and lighthearted, which I honestly appreciated, because the storyline needed a little bit of seriousness occasionally.
Watching Jenna reconnect with Matt after her rejection seemed so recent was both incredibly painful and devastatingly romantic. The look on Matt's face every time Jenna showed up at his door again was undeniable. I won't lie, I hated that he had a fiancé for like the entire movie, but I understand the need for some form of moral dilemma; something keeping them apart and allowing the romance to blossom~
In the end, this movie feels like a warm hug. Watching Jenna become the woman she always dreamed of, then going back to being 13 and doing it all over again on her own terms was such fun. On my list, this is #2, since Jenna taught me to look forward to being 30, flirty, and thriving one day.
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