Thirteen (2003)

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.

Director:

Catherine Hardwicke

Writers:

Catherine Hardwicke, Nikki Reed

Stars:

Nikki Reed, Evan Rachel Wood, Vanessa Hudgens

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nikki Reed	...	Evie Zamora
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Tracy Freeland
Vanessa Hudgens	...	Noel (as Vanessa Anne Hudgens)
Holly Hunter	...	Melanie Freeland
Brady Corbet	...	Mason Freeland
Ulysses Estrada	...	Rafa
Sarah Blakley-Cartwright	...	Medina (as Sarah Blakely-Cartwright)
Jenicka Carey	...	Astrid
Sarah Clarke	...	Birdie
Jasmine Di Angelo	...	Kayla
Tessa Ludwick	...	Yumi
Kip Pardue	...	Luke
Cece Tsou	...	Businesswoman
Jeremy Sisto	...	Brady
Jamison Yang	...	Science Teacher

Storyline

At the edge of adolescence, Tracy is a smart straight-A student--if not a little naive (it seems...she smokes and she cuts to alleviate the emotional pain she suffers from having a broken home and hating her mom's boyfriend, Brady.) When she befriends Evie, the most popular and beautiful girl in school, Evie leads Tracy down a path of sex, drugs and petty crime (like stealing money from purses and from stores). As Tracy transforms herself and her identity, her world becomes a boiling, emotional cauldron fueled by new tensions between her and her mother--as well as, teachers and old friends.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | teacher | 13 year old | peer pressure | adolescence | 

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Taglines:

It's happening so fast.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, self destructive violence, language and sexuality - all involving young teens

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Portuguese

Release Date:

7 November 2003 (Greece)

Also Known As:

A los trece

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£53,553 (UK) (5 December 2003)

Gross:

£140,109 (UK) (12 December 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Michael London Productions, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loosely based on true events in actress/co-writer Nikki Reed's life.

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Goofs

At Melrose, when Tracey's mom drops them off and the girls get out of the car, you can see them through the window. But when a car drives by the girls have disappeared.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tracy: Hit me. I'm serious, I can't feel anything, hit me! Again, do it harder! I can't feel anything, this is so awesome!

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Crazy Credits

Hampton, who is credited as having played himself, is the dog.

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Connections

Featured in 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Pay Attention to Me"
Lyrics by Orlando Brown
Music by Mark Carter
Performed by Orlando Brown

User Reviews

Scary, Beautiful, Gritty Picture of Adolescence

Wow. Talk about a train wreck. Of course I'm speaking in reference to the life of Tracy, the main character, not the movie itself. I give props to the cast and crew, they all got mad skillz. Now for a more intellectual look toward the dystopic view of adolescence and the loss of innocence.

Now that I've thoroughly confused old and young alike, here's the meat and bones of why I think you should see this movie. The movie captures the creation of the emotional rift between an adolescent girl and her mother. While the rift is eventually healed, the impact on the viewer is anything but easily forgotten about. The movie is shocking, don't assume that it won't shock you; these kids do more (insert ANY shocking noun here, i.e. sex, drugs, etc.) in a day than an average college student, at least a college student like me, would SEE, much less do, in an enitire semester.

Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Tracy, gives a (dare I say it about someone so young?) Oscar-worthy performance in her portrayal of an emotionally troubled juvenile. She captures the mood swings, the dark brooding, the joy of being that age perfectly. If there was ever a reason for being scared of having a child, much less a daughter, having a daughter like Evan Rachel Wood's character would be it.

Nikki Reed, the co-writer of the script, deserves notation for her breakout performance. Her acting was very good, considering that she has never had any experience in the field ever. Rather than detract from her performance, her inexperience in selling her character to the audience only added to the dark, manipulative side of her character. If she studies the art and craft of acting, she will be a presence in Hollywood for years to come.

Holly Hunter gives another stellar performance. Her character's balance, or lack thereof, between the enforcer of parental-rules and her desire to be involved in her daughter's life perfectly captures the connundrum of every parent. The climax of the film, featuring Hunter and Wood, reminds the viewer of the intensity that raw emotion can create when you put two amazing actresses together and set the pressure-cooker on Nuclear Meltdown.

Thirteen is a must-see if you are entering middle school, or if you have a daughter entering middle school. Better yet, go see it with your daughter; you will both be talking about it for a long time. I give it a whole-hearted 10 out of 10.