13 Going on 30 (released as Suddenly 30 in some countries) is a 2004 American fantasy romantic comedy[3] film written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, directed by Gary Winick, starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, and produced by Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth.
In 1987, nerdy 13-year-old Jenna Rink yearns to be popular, so she persuades the Six Chicks, her school's ruling clique led by Lucy "Tom-Tom" Wyman, to attend her 13th birthday party by doing their homework for them.
Jenna's best friend and next-door neighbor, Matty Flamhaff, secretly in love with her, gives her a dollhouse he made himself and sprinkles the roof with "magic wishing dust."
The next morning, Jenna is shocked to find herself in a luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment as an adult in 2004, dating a young man she does not recognize and with no memory of the intervening 17 years.
Upon further investigation, she learns that she now works as an editor for her favorite fashion magazine, Poise, alongside co-editor and best friend, Lucy, who is also grown up.
In her new adult life, Jenna spends time with and advises teenagers, and she saves a dull office party by leading the guests, including Matty, in an impromptu "Thriller" line dance.
Written by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, the script was "polished" by Niels Mueller (who lost an initial writing credit in a subsequent dispute arbitrated by the Writers Guild of America).
[15] The album mostly contains music from the 1980s with a range of hits from famous recording artists such as Talking Heads, Billy Joel, Madonna, Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston.
The film opened on April 23, 2004, with an initial box office take of $22 million in its first weekend, debuting at number two, almost tied with Denzel Washington's thriller Man on Fire.
The site's critics consensus reads, "Although the plot leaves a lot to be desired, 13 Going on 30 will tug at your inner teenager's heartstrings thanks in large part to a dazzling performance from Jennifer Garner.
Gleiberman also praised Garner's performance, writing: "She cuts out all traces of adult consciousness, of irony and flirtation and manipulation, reducing herself to a keen, goggle-eyed earnestness that's utterly beguiling.
"[26] Joe Leydon of Variety also praised her performance, writing "Garner throws herself so fully and effectively into the role that in a few key scenes, she vividly conveys Jenna's high spirits and giddy pleasure through the graceful curling of her toes."
Leydon praised director Gary Winick for "bringing a fresh spin to most of the script's cliches and emphasizing nuggets of emotional truth provided by Goldsmith and Yuspa.
"[28] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, commenting, "This romantic comedy is intended as a cautionary fairy tale.
The silly humor works with the film's gentle message of self-empowerment and avoids sappiness in a tender interlude where the adult Jenna returns to her childhood home.
"[29] Mick Martin and Marsha Porter's 2005 DVD and Video Guide called it a "shameless rip-off of the Tom Hanks' classic Big", adding that it was "weak, but predictable and is sparked by the excellent performance of Jennifer Garner".
[30][31] Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times wrote: "The performances give the film more flavor and life than the situation does; it often feels like pre-chewed Bubble Yum.
"[33] Andrea Gronvall of the Chicago Reader wrote that "The formula works, thanks in large part to star Jennifer Garner, who's so radiant theaters should be stocking sunblock.
The show will hold several public workshop performances at Battersea Arts Centre in London, ahead of a full production opening in the summer of 2025.
The stage production is written by movie writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa and music is by composer/lyricists Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.