There are some rom-coms you can never watch too many times. For me, it's Set It Up and 13 Going on 30. There is just something about the magic of watching two friends fall in love that restores my faith in humanity every time I press play. Plus, it doesn't hurt that both of those movies revolve around female writers in New York City. It's like I'm watching a different version of my life play out onscreen!
In honor of a friend's 30th birthday, I just rewatched the 13 Going on 30 movie, and in addition to my usual kicking-my-feet-and-screaming reaction the whole time, I noticed a detail about the end I'd never seen before — and it makes the whole movie so much more impactful.
What happens at the end of 13 Going on 30?
Image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
After Jenna returns from her time jump (which I'm firmly convinced is a dream), reconnects with Matty, and bravely confronts Tom-Tom and the Six Chicks, we see one of my favorite rom-com endings ever. Jenna and Matt (played by Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo) tie the knot and settle into a charming pink house before sharing a packet of razzles. However, one detail about the whole scene means I'll never watch 13 Going on 30 the same way again: the house they move into as a married couple mirrors the dream house Matty thoughtfully created for Jenna's 13th birthday party.
The fact their real house looks exactly like the dream house is much more than a fun design detail. This connection between their past life and their present life carries profound emotional implications because it reflects Matty's unwavering devotion to Jenna's dreams.
Do Matt and Jenna end up together in 13 Going on 30?
Image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
We see right from the beginning of the movie that there's always been a bond between Matty and Jenna. They have inside jokes, and even though they both have opposite reactions to middle school popularity, they know they can count on each other. And the dream house is the one object that represents both how well Matt knows Jenna and how much he genuinely cares about what she cares about.
His willingness to create the dream house in the first place highlights his attentiveness and kindness, especially since it's filled with so many things she loves. Matt's entire arc — from making the dream house to splitting a pack of Razzles at the park because Jenna loves them — shows that he loves with his actions. After he warms up to the idea that Jenna's in his life again, he loves her with open arms, and it takes Jenna learning he's engaged to someone else to realize she loves him back.
What is the lesson of 13 Going on 30?
Image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
Jenna finally accepting Matt and his pink house after throwing him out of her birthday party as kids highlights her own growth as a character. After an entire movie where Jenna moves through her supposed dream life, the 13 Going on 30 movie ending highlights that her true dream life is one spent with the person she loves — not one that gives her a glitzy lifestyle at the expense of all her relationships.
The end of the movie isn't about giving up an independent lifestyle or swapping the excitement of New York City for the suburbs. It's more that Jenna did get everything she ever wanted — the job, the money, the fashion — but she was doing it all alone. She got to the top, and it didn't make her happy. To me, the true lesson in 13 Going on 30 is that relationships in all their forms are so much more meaningful than whatever material things we could accumulate.
Where can I watch 13 Going on 30?
Image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
13 Going on 30 is streaming on Netflix right now. You can also watch a 13 Going on 30 cast reunion in The Adam Project, which brings Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo back together!
Why did Mark Ruffalo almost quit 13 Going on 30?
Image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
Mark Ruffalo is literally such a perfect Matt that I can't believe he almost backed out of 13 Going On 30 altogether! Because of his initial hesitation to dance in the Halloween party's "Thriller" scene, Jennifer Garner had to convince him to stay in the movie.
"The dancing was horrible. I almost didn't want to do this movie," he says in an interview. "I literally read it and I'm like 'I can't do this movie. I can't get up and do those scenes'...When [Jennifer Garner] dragged me out (onto the dance floor) she was literally dragging me out and I had hours of rehearsal with a dance coach who taught me how to do all the moves and stuff and still, when we got into actually shooting it and there were 300 extras around, I did not want to do that scene."
But Mark Ruffalo's nerves (and his self-perceived lack of dancing skills) definitely go unnoticed onscreen. And the fact that Mark can seamlessly capturing the essence of stepping out of your comfort zone for love shows just how perfect he is for the role — and makes me love him even more.
What do you think about the 13 Going on 30 ending? Do you think Jenna's time jump was real, or a dream? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments, and check out 5 Details From The Summer I Turned Pretty Ending That Reveal Who Belly Ends Up With In Season 3!
Lead image via Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
