13 Going On 30

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The rare commercial comedy that leaves you entranced by what can happen only in the movies.

Premiere Peter Debruge

Nearly perfect in its own cotton-candy way.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

A charming, funny piece of wish-fulfillment for young girls -- and, if you're much older than that, a disturbing critique of modern male sexuality.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The lanky action star of the cult television series "Alias" is assigned a tired playbook in this film, but she finds room to manoeuvre in a performance that exceeds expectations.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

The possibilities of Jenna's confusion are exploited for full comic effect. Garner, who turns out to be a charming, abandoned comedian, makes Jenna's incredulousness and innocence very funny and occasionally even touching.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Solidly entertaining.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

While 13 Going on 30 is too formulaic to sustain the delicacy of emotion that gave "Big" its appeal, it has tour-de-farce moments that made screenwriters Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa's "What Women Want" such a monster hit.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ellen A. Kim

Garner's vulnerable, winning performance strikes emotional chords (not to mention nostalgia) in this fantasy comedy.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Amusing, charming and pleasantly nostalgic.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

An unexpected pleasure, a buoyant comedy that will make you feel young again.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Isn't the best romantic comedy one might wish for, but it's more than good enough.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Does a good job of reviving stale material. Thanks to a snappy script by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa and an effervescent performance by Jennifer Garner, this romantic comedy has a buoyant personality.

Variety Joe Leydon

A star vehicle composed of second-hand parts that nevertheless gets great mileage (and big laughs) from its recycled plot.

Washington Post Sara Gebhardt

A film whose far-fetched foundation is overshadowed by the endearing story.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

If "13 Going on 30" isn't exactly original, it's still reasonably cool.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Garner bounces around gleefully as the young spirit enveloped by this adult body. She's young enough herself to remember what it was like to be that age, and she has the vulnerability, zest and slightly over-the-top reactions of a seventh-grader.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

The filmmakers have an pleasurably accurate sense of the embarrassments that darken early adolescence and of the amazing cruelty of teenage girls.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

The best thing about 13 Going on 30 is that an ever-game Jennifer Garner is cheerfully convincing as a 13-year-old in a 30-year-old body. The worst thing is the feeling we've seen this movie before, done better.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

It's looking for comedy and romance in the obvious places.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Garner may be a study in butt-kicking intensity on TV's Alias, but here, she's an engaging comic performer who more than carries her share of what is essentially an unoriginal, mostly average film.

TV Guide Angel Cohn

Director Gary Winick serves up enough giddy fun that it's easy to turn a blind eye to the film's skewed sense of time and minor anachronisms.

Empire Olly Richards

If there's a criticism to be made, it's that the script doesn't push itself far enough with the moments in which it excels.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

I was so charmed by the opening scenes of 13 Going on 30, and so entertained by the middle portion of it, that I had high hopes for its ending -- hopes that were cruelly dashed. Like a petulant 13-year-old, I'm still pouting over my disappointment.

Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

The plot hinges on Jenna's horrified realization that her adult self is a witch, but 13 Going On 30 -- works foremost as a vehicle for its rising star.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The performances give the movie more flavor and life than the situation does; it often feels like prechewed Bubble Yum.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Retreads a well-worn premise (Freaky Friday, Big) but the formula works, thanks in large part to star Jennifer Garner, who's so radiant theaters should be stocking sunblock.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Jennifer Garner is indeed a charmer, but she's the victim of a charmless treatment in 13 Going on 30.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Cheers and many happy returns to Garner as she makes her first starring film role. She's the real deal. But jeers to every other aspect of 13 Going On 30.

Village Voice Jorge Morales

Anyway, the thirtysomething in me was all, gag me with a spoon, but the kid in me was like, this movie's rad to the max.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

The director of 13 Going on 30, Gary Winick, was unable to infuse this material with either the sustained screwball cadences of his earlier "Tadpole" or an emotional resonance comparable to that of his superb "The Tic Code."

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

Plays like it was made by people who are 30 going on 13. The movie is as flighty and mixed up as the adolescent girl at its center.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

You won't find a load of laughs in 13 Going on 30, but there's plenty of whimsy, which is a close cousin of genuine humor.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

What could have been an engaging, maybe even enlightening story about the unfairly high price a woman pays for conducting herself like a man winds up as nothing more than a worthless, harmless and ultimately charmless piffle.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Does it have its moments? A few, but those alone put it head and shoulders above similar offerings featuring, say, Julia Roberts.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

The film lacks the emotional resonance that made "Big" such a sentimental favorite with audiences of all ages.