Claudia Puig of "USA Today" gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, commenting, "This romantic comedy is intended as a cautionary fairy tale. The silly humor works with the movie's gentle message of self-empowerment and avoids sappiness in a tender interlude where the adult Jenna returns to her childhood home. Amusing, charming and pleasantly nostalgic, 13 Going on 30 should fall easily onto moviegoers' wish lists." Mick Martin and Marsha Porter's 2005 DVD and Video Guide called it a "shameless rip-off of the Tom Hanks' classic "Big"", adding that it was "weak, but predictable and is sparked by the excellent performance of Jennifer Garner".