Thirteen (2003)
Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed
A thirteen-year-old girl's relationship with her mother is put to the test as she discovers drugs, sex, and petty crime in the company of her cool but troubled best friend.
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R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed by:
Catherine Hardwicke
Release Date: Jan 01, 2003
DVD Release Date: Jan 27, 2004
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Flixster User Reviews
I really enjoyed this - good acting from the young leads - tells the story of a thirteen year olds change overnight from an innocent, studious girl to dabbling in drugs, sex and crime along with her disturbed new best friend. Thought her mother shou... (read more) I really enjoyed this - good acting from the young leads - tells the story of a thirteen year olds change overnight from an innocent, studious girl to dabbling in drugs, sex and crime along with her disturbed new best friend. Thought her mother should have realised what was going on earlier though, seemed to turn a blind eye an awful lot and I found myself wishing she would just give her daughter a good slap!! However it does portray the angst of teenagers well, and takes you back to that stage when you just want to be accepted. The eventual betrayal of her friend rings true and you end up feeling quite sorry for her. Recommended.
Amazing! One of my all-time favorites. Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter were brilliant.
Would have been better if produced a decade earlier... for more authenticity. Today's children are not the rebels described here.
At first, it seemed to me that 'Thirteen' was advocating dangerous adolescent behaviour, but by the movie's end, I realised that it tries to steer teens away from bad habits by showing them the harsh consequences of mixing with the wrong crowd. The m... (read more) At first, it seemed to me that 'Thirteen' was advocating dangerous adolescent behaviour, but by the movie's end, I realised that it tries to steer teens away from bad habits by showing them the harsh consequences of mixing with the wrong crowd. The movie is about a thirteen year-old girl, Tracy, whose life takes a turn for the worst when she begins to associate with one of the school's most popular girls, Evie. We see Tracy's life fall to pieces in a downward spiral of events. Together, her and Evie smoke marijuana, shoplift, pursue sexual relationships and get piercings, among other things. It's a tragic tale, and often hard to watch. I certainly found it hard to watch two young girls derive enjoyment from hitting each other across the face while high on gas duster. Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed are frighteningly believable as Tracy and Evie, though the best performance is from Holly Hunter, who plays Tracy's financially struggling mother. As an audience, we can feel her pain as she can do nothing but look on as her daughter tears her life to ruins. What's strange about 'Thirteen' is how the scenes that are harder to watch are actually the best scenes in the film. 'Thirteen' is driven by raw emotion; to be honest, the film wouldn't be much without it. One criticism is that the camera moves too fast throughout the movie, which makes for an uncomfortable viewing. Then again, this style complements the uncomfortable nature of the film.
I watched this movie because I intended to offer it to my 13-year-old daughter but ... I think I will offer her something else!
Her life is still so quiet and "clean", it looks like a 6-year-old one compared to the teenagers in the movie!!! And I am ... (read more) I watched this movie because I intended to offer it to my 13-year-old daughter but ... I think I will offer her something else!
Her life is still so quiet and "clean", it looks like a 6-year-old one compared to the teenagers in the movie!!! And I am not eager to see her become like that.
I could probably write a book about this film but I wont. Instead I'll just say don't allow insane teens to run a household. And don't allow insane people to run the world. But yeah, this is a pretty good film that felt a lot like a documentary. Very... (read more) I could probably write a book about this film but I wont. Instead I'll just say don't allow insane teens to run a household. And don't allow insane people to run the world. But yeah, this is a pretty good film that felt a lot like a documentary. Very unique and memorable.
Good acting, but a bit too much whining from Evan Rachel Wood. Interesting insight though.
An impactful tale of where the wrong paths can take you, while staying away from the manipulative cheesiness of similar E channel originals. Evan Rachel Wood, even at 13, is simply spectacular.
Movie that made me go wow about Evan Rachel Wood. Great movie. Would make kids think as it shows how easily an early teen can be swayed down the wrong path and become out of control with drugs and sex before they know what hit them.
Critic Reviews
A rather basic tale about the perils of going along with the in-crowd and the extremes to which teenagers will act out for attention.full review
The movie is a descendant of 1950s juvenile- delinquent melodramas, but it has a chilling emotional authenticity.full review
Thirteen is not a pleasant experience, but it resonates with truth in all of its details.full review
Wood is superb at delineating Tracy's slide into desperate incoherence, but equally impressive is Reed, who has to conceal her writer's intelligence in playing a character who's entirely instinctive and unreflective.full review
Sets a technical problem that seems insoluble, and meets it brilliantly, finding convincing performances from its teenage stars. showing a parent who is clueless but not uncaring, and a world outside that bedroom window that has big bad wolves.full review
Warning: This movie may have uncomfortable similarities to events in your life.full review
It's just the latest in the long and proud tradition of pictures that exclaim, with a great deal of hand-wringing, 'Kids today!' If only it brought us closer to understanding them.full review
Every parent's nightmare about how girls go wrong is packed into this movie.full review
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