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:

Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 48 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:

f rated | lesbian kiss | female butt jiggle | title written by female | friend | 

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Taglines:

It's happening so fast.

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Genres:

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 UK

Language:

English Spanish Portuguese

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A los trece

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$116,260, 24 August 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,599,680, 14 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

Michelle Trachtenberg was originally set to star as Tracy, but was committed to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1996) at the time.

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Goofs

In the scene where Mel is taking Tracey and Evie to Brooke's, it's clear that both girls are in the backseat. But when they get to Brooke's house, Tracey gets out of the front.

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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

Art department assistant & "chicken trick" inventor -- Alden Wallace

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Connections

References The 400 Blows (1959)

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Soundtracks

Itsy Bitsy Spider
Traditional

User Reviews

Proof that the oscars are rigged...

How did Holly Hunter not win that Oscar? Why weren't Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed at least nominated, let alone winners?

I have seen many films in my time, and none have held such great performances as this, and few have spoken to the audience in such a powerful way.

Holly Hunter, who is always superb, outdid herself in the role of Mel, the caring mother who doesn't know when to put a tighter grip on her daughter, Tracy. Her performance is so touching, and so painful that you want to get inside her and show her what she needs to do.

Evan Rachel Wood is outstanding as Tracy, the young girl who so desperately wants to fit in, and will go to any lengths to get that. Wood is always good, but she too has outdone herself, and perfectly nailed the role of Tracy. Not once does she come across as a pretentious actress trying to act like a teen.

Nikki Reed, who was introduced by this film, delivers a performance that is worth the ticket fare alone. Evie is so manipulative, so seductive, and so real that you can't possibly blame Tracy for wanting to be like her.

Whoever it is who decides who gets the Oscars - wake up and realise that you need to award these to the performances, not the actors who wear the nicer dresses!

Thirteen is one of the more powerful pieces of cinema around. The camera probes right into the livers of our protagonists, denying anyone the joy if seeing this grim masterpiece from a safe distance. The soundtrack rocks along to the emotions of the characters. The performances create not only a good film, but a little disturbing slice of life.

Having seen Thirteen, I now understand why people label some films as important. this is certainly one of them.