Characters say "bulls--t," "holy Christ" (as exclamation), "damn," "ass," "bitch," "jump your bones," and make some bodily references ("testicles," "boob," "balls," "butt," and "thingy," referring to a penis).
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Lots of sexual innuendo, references, and jokes. It's all meant in fun as an innocent 13-year-old is unexpectedly thrust into adult situations. She discovers a naked man in her apartment (no on-screen nudity; she holds up an umbrella to cover him), squeals at a pass from a married colleague, appreciates her new womanly body and sexy clothing by touching herself, inappropriately flirts with a young teen boy, and ends up in an acquaintance's apartment thinking the games he wants to play are Monopoly and Battleship. Characters kiss. One performs half of a striptease, showing his bare chest and form-fitting briefs. Teens play "seven minutes in heaven," though no kissing is shown.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Visuals of brands/products including Starbucks, FedEx, Escada, Hugo Boss, Pringles, Milano Cookies, Bloomingdale's, Chanel, "For Dummies" books, Cole Haan, and New York City's CBGB Club. Shots of Times Square with some branded billboards. Razzles candy plays a role. Games Battleship, Parcheesi, and Monopoly, as well as NY Rangers hockey team, are shown. A character drives a Lincoln Town Car.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Many scenes show social drinking. The 13-year-old in a 30-year-old body has her first experiences with adult beverages and gets slightly tipsy. An underage girl talks about buying beer. Marijuana and a couple of illegal drugs are mentioned briefly.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
It's important to be kind, compassionate, generous, honest, and true to your own values and talents (i.e., to have integrity). It's OK, even helpful, to make mistakes on your path to becoming a better person.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Jenna goes from being an insecure, awkward girl who's willing to do anything to be liked by the "in" group to an independent-thinking, unselfish, ethical young woman who becomes immune to peer pressure. Parents are supportive, understanding, and loving. Jenna's best friend, Matt, is forgiving, compassionate, and loving despite all of her missteps. But the people who work in magazine publishing are presented as cutthroat, shallow, and materialistic.
Diverse Representations
a little
Though directed and co-written by men, 13 Going on 30 has a female co-writer, Cathy Yuspa. The script has a strong female lead: Jenna, who—while often clumsy and finding her way—emerges as a woman willing to carve her own path. But many other female characters reflect "mean girl" clichés, and the main cast is entirely White. In a minor role, Jenna's boss is a gay man who flirts with a love interest.
Parents need to know that 13 Going on 30 is a sweet romantic comedy with a fantasy twist from the early 2000s starring Jennifer Garner. Expect themes around navigating adolescence, the importance of compassion, and learning to be true to yourself. Because the story places a 13-year-old girl in the body of a 30-year-old, the main character's reaction to sexual situations is exaggerated and meant to be funny: There's "boob" talk, the beginnings of a striptease, a married man making a pass, mistaking sexual games for childhood board games, and a scene with a naked man (sensitive parts are covered by an open umbrella). Characters flirt, kiss, and use occasional language ("bulls--t," "jump your bones," "bitch," "hell"). Characters drink and briefly mention marijuana and mind-altering drugs. The film has a positive female lead, but many other female characters fall into "mean girl" clichés, and there's almost no racial diversity. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Ah, were to start? While the beginning may be best, I wouldn't want to give away any spoilers!
Positive elements include standing up to peer pressure, taking a stand against bullies, adultery is condemned, redemptive elements of forgiveness, relationships are valued, and a good work ethic is exemplified.
Now for the negatives... There is some cussing, but not much, and a few light profanities. There is a scene where a man is naked except for a towel around his waist. Only nudity shown is his torso. A similar situation happens a little later as the same guy tries to preform a strip tease which is strongly rebuked. Both scenes are easy to skip through without detracting from the movie. There are some subtle jokes about drugs and alcohol. Towards the end of the movie the MC asks another character if he's gay, to which he repeats the question sarcastically, and laughs.
Because of some of the content I wouldn't recommend the movie for younger children, but teens and upwards would get a kick out of the sweet romance. Otherwise, this is a great family movie for those of y'all who have older kids.
Our eleven year old girl really enjoyed. The movie is funny and offers positive messages to kids. Particularly, the main character reflects about her life and values at 30 and then decides to correct past mistakes and find a new path in life.
What's the Story?
A girl who suffers total humiliation at her 13th birthday party wishes she could be 30—and, somehow, it comes true. In 13 GOING ON 30, Jenna (Jennifer Garner) wakes up to a grown-up face and figure in a swanky Manhattan apartment. This foreign world around her raises some questions: Where are her parents? Who's the guy in her shower who seems to know her a little too well? Jenna races out of the building in her pajamas, only to have a woman who seems to know her tell Jenna to get into a limo and then talk a mile a minute about some job she seems to have as editor of Poise magazine. Jenna starts to realize that she may have gotten what she wished for, but is it all that it's cracked up to be? She tracks down her very best childhood friend, Matt (Mark Ruffalo), who's now a photographer. When he tells her he hasn't seen her since high school, she begins to understand that in order to become what she wished for, she's lost some of the things that mattered most.
This romcom offers some bright moments and nicely understated humor, despite all of the expected collisions between the lives of the 13- and 30-year-old characters. But what really makes 13 Going on 30 work is Garner, who's enormously touching and hilarious as a young teen living in the body and life of a grown adult. She's wonderfully open and vulnerable, handling it all lightly and with a lot of charm. Ruffalo, as always, adds class and sweetness to the best friend role and has impressive delicacy in providing romantic interest for someone who is, after all, emotionally just 13 years old. The two perfectly capture the awkwardness and angst that many of us feel as we try to figure out who we want to be—and that's at any age.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the reality of being a grown-up is different than it appears to a child. What was the biggest surprise for Jenna in 13 Going on 30? How are mature topics like drinking and sex addressed?
Talk about the way middle schoolers treat one another—and how to make sure that you don't grow up with the kind of regrets that Jenna does. Is/was there a popular clique in your school?
Can you think of other movies that have a similar plot device?
MPAA explanation:
some sexual content and brief drug references
Last updated:
July 30, 2024
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