Claim: Jennifer Garner appeared on film.

13 Going on 30 -LRB- released as Suddenly 30 in some countries -RRB- is a 2004 American romantic comedy fantasy film written by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa and directed by Gary Winick . Starring Jennifer Garner , the film was produced by Revolution Studios for Columbia Pictures , and was released on April 23 , 2004 . It follows a 13-year-old girl who dreams of being popular . During her birthday party , she engages in the party game Seven Minutes in Heaven . The game turns out to be a humiliating experience for her , and she huddles alone in her basement , wishing that she was thirty years old . When she eventually does emerge , she finds herself five days shy of her 30th birthday , uncertain to how she got there .   The film received generally positive reviews from critics , with many praising Garner 's performance and its nostalgic environment . It was also praised for its humorous plot and self-empowering message . The film was also a commercial success , earning $ 22 million in its first week and grossing over $ 96 million , becoming one of the year 's biggest-selling DVD rental title . Its soundtrack features songs spanning from the 1980s to the 2000s , with a range of hits from famous recording artists such as Billy Joel , Madonna , Michael Jackson , Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston . Additionally , the soundtrack charted inside the top 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart . Jennifer Garner 's acting earned her nominations from both the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards , and the film was also re-released in DVD in 2006 as `` Fun and Flirty Edition '' , and on Blu-Ray in 2009 .