Gary Winick brings a “feel good” romantic comedy to the big screen, “13 Going on 30.” On her 13th birthday, Jenna Rink finds herself wishing for all the things a teenage girl dreams of, to be popular, to grow up, for beauty, and to have a hot boyfriend. When Jenna wakes up from her wish, she finds herself thirty, flirty, and thriving. Jenna enjoys this until she realizes that there is one thing missing, her best friend, Matt.

Jenna is a successful magazine editor in N.Y.C. She has a famous hockey player boyfriend named Alex, and is friends with celebrities. Jenna learns that she achieved her “wishes” through lies, betrayal, and being a “mean girl,” everything she idolized as a 13-year-old girl. When she runs into Matt, her BFF, she quickly realizes that what she wished for as a girl, may not be what she wants as a grown up. Her current best friend, Lucy, was the popular girl in middle school who Jenna desperately wanted to impress back then. Lucy continues her sneaky ways into adulthood, and betrays Jenna at their job. At that moment, Jenna decides she doesn’t want her “wishes” anymore. Can she get back to her past to change her future?

The actors and actresses did very well playing their roles. Jennifer Garner did an outstanding job. The way she talked and behaved was definitely like a 13-year-old girl. Judy Greer does a remarkable job of playing the “mean girl” with her actions, facial expressions, and sassiness. Mark Ruffalo did well too, but I would have liked his acting better if he showed more emotion in his voice.

“13 Going on 30” consisted of very enjoyable parts that included humor, love, and happiness. There were also some unpleasant parts that included dishonesty, stealing, and sadness, but what’s a movie without conflicts? A scene I really loved was when Jenna and Alex were at his apartment and Alex turned on “Ice Ice Baby,” and started dancing hilariously. That scene cracked me up. Also, I liked the scene where Jenna, Lucy, and Matt danced to “Thriller” at Jenna and Lucy’s work party because it was entertaining. My absolute favorite scene is the end, because who doesn’t like a happy ending! A scene I dislike is when Lucy tricks Jenna into thinking they are friends, and she takes Jenna’s essay she wrote for Lucy and sneaks out of Jenna’s birthday party. Another scene I really dislike is when Lucy sent Jenna’s idea to the other magazine company.

The lesson I learned from this movie is that the saying “I wish I knew then, what I know now,” is very true. As an “adult,” Jenna realized that what mattered was being with people who love and support you, and who you love and support. Most teenagers place a lot of importance on popularity and what peers think of themselves, but truthfully, as a grown-up it will not matter. Another saying I learned was true is “be careful what you wish for,” because Jenna made a huge mistake wishing she was 30. The moral of the story is to be true to yourself, and never give up for what you believe in. Once Jenna realized the mistake of her wish, she did not give up on changing things back to the way they were when she was 13.

I recommend this movie to everyone 13 and up. Teenagers could relate to the movie since the main character is a “teenager,” and adults could relate by recalling their teenage years. I do not recommend this movie to any child under 13 because of some inappropriate scenes and adult language. “13 Going on 30” is rated PG-13 and is a great success, 5 stars!