Mother, Couch director Niclas Larsson has revealed that if there were one movie he was allowed to remake, it would definitely be the 2004 Jennifer Garner rom-com classic, 13 Going on 30. Larsson directs Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Taylor Russell, and the incomparable Ellen Burstyn in his new dramedy, which premiered on July 5, 2024, and has thus far received mixed reviews from critics.
Speaking with Variety, the Swedish director touched on a number of topics, including what he calls the “good old days” of cinema when people didn’t care so much about critical acclaim as they did about making the movie they wanted to make. He says it’s that mindset which led him to write/direct Mother, Couch, which he calls “the craziest movie he could think of.”
“I miss
the good old days where people were young filmmakers and didn’t care about critics. They didn’t care about the audience necessarily
. They just made the movie they wanted to make. I think there’s something pure in that. So I wrote the craziest movie I could think of. It’s not for everybody, but for the ones who it is for I think they will really like it.”
It was then that the 33-year-old filmmaker revealed that he really wanted to direct the upcoming Freaky Friday sequel starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, which he calls one of his favorite movies. While he was unable to take a crack at that, which instead will be helmed by Nisha Ganatra, he said that a remake of 13 Going on 30 is definitely something he’d “love to do.”
“I told my agent yesterday if they’re making a remake of 13 Going on 30, I should be the one. I’d love to do that.”
The Endearing Legacy of 13 Going on 30
Released in 2004, 13 Going on 30 had stiff competition that same year at the box office, which also saw the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spider-Man 2, Shrek 2, and Mel Gibson’s religious epic, The Passion of the Christ. Hoping that the popularity of other romantic comedies such as 50 First Dates would bolster its box office performance, the film managed to take in a respectable $96 million globally, with many praising the performances of both Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo.
Still, the film was 61st overall that year in terms of worldwide gross, leaving many to believe that it was one of those movies that would come and go, never to be heard from again. Such is not the case, however, as 13 Going on 30 often makes TheShockNews of best rom-coms of the 2000s, and has gained a cult-like following over the past two decades, with teenagers who saw the movie in 2004 all grown up now, remembering it fondly as one of those films that helped define their youth.
Related
13 Going on 30: Where the Cast is Today
This rom-com remains one of Jennifer Garner’s best-remembered films. Here’s a look at the 13 Going on 30 cast today.
Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show back in 2023, Garner herself commented on the movie’s appeal over the years, and said that at the time no one had any idea that it would go on to be the romantic comedy classic that it has. She called it her Never Been Kissed, referring to Barrymore’s 1999 rom-com that has gone on to have an endearing legacy all its own.
“We’ve talked about it, the three of us [Garner, Ruffalo, and Judy Greer] how it kind of grows, because I think the kids who were 13 when it came out are now 30, and God bless them.”
Despite some pointing out the controversial themes in 13 Going on 30 that might not be appropriate for kids, that hasn’t stopped a generation of parents from showing the film they loved growing up to their own children, hoping that they’ll be able to pick up on its inherent charm and enjoy it just as much as they did.
While a remake of 13 Going on 30 doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar at this point, that’s perhaps for the best, as it’s hard to imagine that it would have the same effect on today’s kids as it did 20 years ago in an age when social media and cell phones were still in their infancy.
13 Going on 30
is available to stream on
Hulu
.