It's weird to think that Catherine Hardwicke of Twilight fame directed this movie. While it's not that good of a movie, it's truly a scary look into our ever changing society. It's not so uncommon to hear stupid children having unprotected sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and doing crime. Children like that will regret wasting their childhood. Ladies and gentlemen if you're a parent, raise your children right! If you're turning thirteen, don't end up like these characters in the film. If you're still acting immature, grow up. Despite the fact that the acting is pretty good in this film and it's a cautious moral tale of losing control of yourself during your teen years. This movie was really hard to watch. Thirteen year olds taking drugs, having sex and behaving horribly really is not that entertaining to watch. Brace yourself as this movie is just a catalog of bad actions that will anger you. The movie is about thirteen year old girl name Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) whom seems like a sweet, innocent little girl with big plans for her life. Once turning thirteen, Tracy's behavior starts to change to the worst when she meets a new friend at school name Evie (Nikki Reed). The whole movie is Tracy rebelling against her mother Melanie (Holly Hunter) in the most self-destructive ways possible with a girl who is even more troubled. There are teens who act this way in real life, but these are the very worst cases. This movie serve one purpose by showing shock value. The audience is shown the most deplorable things one teenage girl can do and can get away with showing on screen. It's sickly to watch. There is barely any redemption arch at all, as the movie is 1 hour and half full of teen angst. While the movie 'Kids' was a little bit more shocking due to its documentary style, this movie acts like a melodrama badly made episode of Jerry Springer. It has the very stereotypical story plot of a spoil brat not getting her way so feel bad for me. I really hate the movie makes piercing tongues and belly buttons seems like a gateway to drugs and crime. There are plenty of people that get it, and are well off. Why was there pointless nudity in the form of the mother Holly Hunter? She didn't need to be nude in this film. I know it supposed to show that she is losing herself due to her daughter's actions, but why have her nude doing that? It's not like any 13 year old can even watch the movie as it is R rating. Rather than trying to get this PG-13, the director fails. There are films that make these bad actions look cool that are rated PG-13. This movie if rightly watch by a teenager can understand in dealing more intelligently and forthrightly with the consequences of the behavior it depicts. The movie carry an interesting educational message but it never got solves. The movie also makes children of American society looks like bad. There are many places in the world and even in America, where teenagers like this do not exist and never have. Yes, it's true that some teenagers act like this, but as young as thirteen year olds? Maybe 15, but you'd be surprised what 13 year olds do these days. Another cliché that must be mentioned was the decision of having the blonde blue-eyed girl portraying the good girl gone bad as the color girl portraying the seed of evil. Although in real life the Latina girl had been the blonde's role. Surprising the movie is based on the life of the actress that plays Evie, Nikki Reed who co-wrote the screenplay. Everyone who hates Evie in this movie that just proves that Nikki Reed is an amazing actress because in real life she's such a sweetheart! She was Tracy in real life. The very last scene where Tracy spinning at the playground is disappointing, don't know if it's supposed to be a conceptual scene. I just leave it at that. If you want a film overflowing with pretensions of importance, piercings, and racial stereotyping, by all means, get this movie. If you want a real, profound insight into the mind of a teenager, read Seigel's Like the Red Panda or Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
Review of Thirteen
