Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Jennifer Garner may seem like a victim of another "invasion of the body snatchers" movie theme. However, 13 Going On 30 is entertaining, thanks to the Alias kick-butt cutie's comedic turn.

Garner stars as Jenna Rink, who wakes up after her 13th birthday to find out that she's "30, flirty and thriving" -- as a backstabbing party babe working as an editor in New York. Her equally bitchy classmate (Judy Greer) is still by her side, although not very understanding of her predicament. Instead, she seeks out her childhood buddy Matt (Mark Ruffalo), and begins to right of the wrongs of her adult years.

Let's get one thing straight: 13 Going On 30 is the definition of a chick flick. In fact, it couldn't be more repellent to the male gender if it came in a case that doubled as a purse and had a tube of Monistat strapped to the top. It is oozing with tons of girlie pop culture, from Rick Springfield infatuation, to bright fashion, to the entire cast grooving to the evils of the "Thriller."

Despite the recycled theme (Big, Freaky Friday, Vice Versa and Like Father Like Son), this silliness seems to work, mainly due to a great cast -- with Garner charming the pants off viewers via her bubbly performance. She needs to do more comedy.

The Picture

This isn't going to be your go-to disc when guests want you to explain the magic of Blu-ray. In fact, it's probably going to be the one that you hide behind your Bourne box set. The 1.85:1 transfer is a step up from good old DVD, but it's slightly disappointing. Sure, it doesn't have the Bourne action or Wall-E animation, but this film has a lot of color. Jenna's makeup, her outfits, and even the office were a bit bland; all of that detail just didn't pop like it should have.

The Sound

Again, don't expect this disc to help calibrate your sound system, make the walls shake or even provoke you to pull out the Hammer pants. Still, the TrueHD 5.1 sound produced some nice dialogue, and worked great during the film's many musical '80s flashbacks. However, there wasn't a lot of other details, in the office, on the streets, or elsewhere.

The Extras

Apparently, Sony was anxious to get this one out on Blu-ray, because there are no new features. While there is some good material, everything was included in the 2006 standard-def "Fun & Flirty" edition. That includes alternate openings and endings for the movie, as well as few standard featurettes about being a freak and/or geek and the '80s fashion.

Final Thoughts

Don't expect anything more than a lighthearted, often goofy love story that will make you long for the days when Michael Jackson and legwarmers were both cool. While Garner and Ruffalo are highly entertaining, this release isn't like reinventing the 8-track. If you've purchased any of the previous releases, it's not really worth the upgrade.

Where to Buy:

• 13 Going On 30 on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis
• Director: Gary Winick
• Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English, French, Porteguese), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish, Thai)
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese, French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Thai
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: January 20, 2009
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• List Price: $28.95
• Extras:
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Alternate Beginning and Ending
• Making of a Teen Dream
• Making of a Teen Dream: Another Take
• Blooper Reel
• Two Filmmaker Audio Commentaries
• I Was a Teenage Geek
• Pat Benetar's "Love is a Battlefield" Video
• Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" Video
• Fashion Flashback: Into the 80s
• Photo Gallery