'13 Going on 30' by Gary Winick Review: A fun idea from a more simple era of film

I'm not sure what made me remember this film, but for some reason, I did. And it was with some odd nostalgia for the simplistic nature of films from the 80s - early 2000s era that had me itching to revisit it after over a decade. Sometimes this happens to me, I get a bit bored of the modern releases and grow an interest in the films from the past, when Hollywood was happy to create simple stories that didn't need to be highly successful, nor was the industry heavily dominated by algorithms and streaming services assuming what audiences would actually like to enjoy. Instead, the whiteboard was the chosen tool for figuring out a target demographic, as studios would create the ideal person a film could relate to. Funnily, all these years later, I'm still not that target demographic for a film like this, but the industry is just that bad these days that I find myself enjoying these sillier films. They have a bit of everything in the right way, after all. A little bit of comedy, a little bit of drama, and a character that finds themselves in a dilemma in which some sort of lesson is inevitably learned.

There were a lot of films around this time in which the idea of bodies being swapped, minds swapped with animals, or people aged overnight into adult or child versions of themselves. I think it's no surprise that this came around at some point, with the modern world starting to really ramp up the anxiety over who we really are and who society tells us we should be. Everyone running around a bit lost and wanting to be someone else. These stories then focusing on the idea that perhaps none of it is really true, perhaps we did get what we assumed we wanted, but at what cost? Which things would turn out differently that we'd prefer to remain? Directions pursued instead of others, leading to unforeseen consequences that ultimately give us the epiphany over how content we really were in the first place. If anything, we feel this chaos more than ever in this day. As everyone feels almost obligated to pursue certain norms, as the anxiety over identity and being liked are ramped to eleven with the mass consumption of social media, again encouraging our minds in various ways for the worst.

Smaller films used to have these messages a little more often back then. With stories formed around certain messaging that ultimately led to a method of creating a narrative around that problem. A character has a problem above them, they are thrown into another world in which that problem is finally addressed. Is it truly what they want? I think it's a simple way of telling a story, and it's what made these films with shorter runtimes so engaging in the first place. Straight into the story and characters, immediate reason to care for it all. It feels strange to be writing this about a film like 13 Going on 30, but I guess here I am.

13 Going on 30

I recall being 13, I never really thought of who I would be as I reached adult age. It felt so distant. I had that youthful naivety that had me thinking that age was decades away, that things would fall in line by that point and I could just sit back and continue with my sleeping in and playing video games all day and night. Of course, it came to be that it wasn't the case. I'm on the brink of 30 now and I still don't feel remotely close to it, whole-fully unprepared and uninterested in adult life and the annoyances that come with it all. Why am I saying all of this? Well, 13 Going on 30 is about that youthful ignorance. A girl celebrates her 13th birthday in the 80s, as the pressures of society impact the ways in which she sees herself, wanting to become someone else and often polluted by media in the form of the magazines that glamourised the idea of what life is like for an adult. With it being her thirteenth birthday and surrounded by negative influences, a coincidental wish unfolds as she's transformed into the future as her 30-something self. Now getting everything she assumed she wished for.

Things are not as they seem, however. It's clear that this lifestyle she assumed was glamorous actually had its negative impacts. Friendships are lost, rivalries maintained, and connection is something that is often shallow and void of emotion. It's only as her teenage mind realises her surroundings does she discover that none of this is really what she thought it'd be like. That being 30 is actually a nightmarish situation if you pursue nothing but material possessions and pushing people away in the pursuit of success. Now working for a magazine herself, we can see how all of what she saw was previously nonsense. A group of lies that told her the things she wanted to hear. It's a fairly simple narrative, and one that unfolds quite quickly as it balances the drama with elements of romance. Somewhat of a rom-com without being too over the top. I feel the comedy outpaces the romance elements, and that's not all that surprising for such a film which does aim to pull in varying ages in its target audience, being something that teaches young girls a lesson, while also appealing to adults.

The film's narrative holds some importance over the idea of youth, and how those still with it should ensure they cling to what's around them, maintaining that innocence as they go forward into life; not being in any rush to jump into adulthood. It's with the adult version of our protagonist played by Jennifer Garner that we see that even with an adult appearance and childish mind, nobody around her really notices anything off. That assumption that everyone is ultimately that inner child running around trying to be all serious when there's no need to be. This is where most of that aforementioned comedy comes into play, as our protagonist struggles to act adult and makes some comedic mistakes. One of which being told that there's a 'cute guy' eyeing her up in a diner, being a girl that actually just turned 13 in an adult body, she mistakingly assumes her friend meant the literal teenager boy in the corner. These are the sorts of jokes that definitely wouldn't make it into a Hollywood film today, but I appreciated that slightly darker humour for sure.

The film juggles between problems to distance itself from being about too much of one thing, but rarely does the film feel like it is becoming too much to deal with. With a fairly normal runtime for the era, I didn't really notice the time passing nor did I find myself getting a bit bored and wanting the film to hurry things up a bit. Maybe some of this is also with a simplistic style of directing on 35mm film, much like most films of that time were. Quite colourful, a fun look into the past through the styles and general aesthetics. Not quite that Y2K look that the youth these days are latching onto, but instead that 2005 era. It's quite a fun film to look at due to this. What's also interesting is how the film doesn't really have any explanations for the time period our protagonist is in, no clear indication of what year it is, nor much of a noticeable difference in technology where most films might leap into that realm. I quite liked this.

I'd say the film is worth a watch, it's pretty fun. Coming from a time in which films still could be fun and silly, not too serious or trying to do more than it needs to. A performance from Andy Serkis not long after The Lord of the Rings is also a nice surprise! And superhero fans might find some joy in the appearance of a younger Mark Ruffalo!

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