13 Reasons I Love "13 Going on 30"

Eleven years ago, Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo starred in a romantic comedy* (kids this is a dying movie genre so you might not recognize it) called 13 Going on 30. For this movie, a young 13 year old Jenna Rink (in 1987) is having a tough time with a clique of frenemies that make the West Beverly girls look tame. They want her to turn her back on her best guy friend, Matty. With some magic glitter and a wish, she wakes up "thirty, flirty, and fabulous," and she is co-editor of a top women;s magazine with the same girl that she was trying to be friends with in middle school. Her life is pretty empty, and she heads home and reconnects with grown-up Matty... and so on. An important lesson is taught here that every choice you make as a kid can change your adult future.

Here are the 13 best things about the movie:

13. Razzles Candy
Razzles are basically pop rocks, something that gets into your mouth and makes a big sugary mess when combined with liquid. Jenna insists on getting some Razzles when she and Matty reunite as adults.

12. Bad Bestie (YOUNG) ALEXANDRA KYLE
Jenna's mean friend Tom-Tom (real name Lucy), also known in my circle of friends as "the girl that looks like little Helen Hunt", and Jenna herself (Christa B. Allen from Revenge), who is a dead ringer for Jennifer Garner. 



11. Bad Bestie (OLD) JUDY GREER
This girl has gotten so famous as playing the best friend, she wrote a book about it! (And I love her for it).  As a constant best friend/pain in other movies like (The Wedding Planner, 27 Dresses, Love and Other Drugs). Judy looks like she has resting-Beyotch face in almost every scene, even when she's happy.  She plays older Tom-Tom and says such memorable gems like: "Jenna, if you're gonna start lying about your age, I'd go with 27."


10. BRITISH BOSS
Jenna's boss is played by Gollum for Lord of the Rings. He is snippy, antsy, British, and you still can't stay mad at him. He's on the left!

9. THE THRILLER DANCE!
Naturally at an office party. Watch it here!

8. TINY DOLLHOUSE
Matty gives Jenna a home-built dollhouse with all the coolest things- MTV on the television, and that rough rockstar Rick Springfield.

7. Thirty, Flirty and Thriving
Jenna chants this phrase when she gets her magical transformation.


6. The Dude: MARK RUFFALO
I'm not sure I can even justify Ruffalo well enough. He plays the every man and the reluctant leading man to a T every time.

5. NY RANGERS
Jenna wakes up to find out she is dating a very sexy NY rangers player.

4. SLUMBER PARTY
Jenna invites a bunch of 13 year old girls over to her apartment to hang out and sing Pat Benatar songs. Their parents find no trouble with this arrangement.

3. FANTASY MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT
Jenna creates a fun non-model driven photo shoot for her magazine, securing a promotion some someone... (no spoilers).

2. The CLOSET
There will come a day when i can display all of my beautiful shoes on selves in a walk-in closet.

1. The Girl: JENNIFER GARNER
Because without her, this movie wouldn't be THIS movie. Her bubbly personality and innocent wonder make me long for the days when Ben Affleck was seeing another Jen.



* A romantic comedy is a story where two people (who usually don't know each other) meet in an embarrassing or cute way, fall in love (or deny it for a while until something changes their mind), fight, break up, and end up happily ever after (usually with some wedded bliss in sight). To see a more modern version of this, you can view Amy Schumer's Trainwreck as a rom-com in today's day and age.