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Release: 08/22/03-(R)-(1:40)-[FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES]- CAST: EVAN RACHEL WOOD, HOLLY HUNTER, NIKKI REED, JEREMY SISTO, BRADY CORBET, DEBORAH KARA UNGER: Thirteen is an unusually realistic and almost scary portrayal of just how easy the pressures of burgeoning teendom and peer pressures can be. The mere fact that this story is based on the real life experiences of one of its stars takes the levels of drama and angst up a couple of notches. However, it is the performances by nearly all members of this fine ensemble work that take THIRTEEN to a level that cannot be matched in the world of big studio fare. Add to that there really is NO underlying theme or message producers are trying to drop on an unsuspecting audience and you have an interesting ride of a movie. Tracy (Wood) plays an unassuming young girl, cute and unaffected by the world (except for maybe her mother's on-again-off-again relationship with ex-crackhead Brady, played by Sisto). Tracy is about to begin in a new middle-school already attended by her older brother Mason (Corbet) and is perfectly fine with her two little friends as this experience begins. Soon, however, it becomes apparent that Tracy wants to be more like the school hottie and most popular girl Evie (Nikki Reed... who co-wrote the screenplay.) At first Evie is more into teasing the young girl, much like a pledge in a sorority. She gives her a fake phone number after inviting her out to shop on Melrose and then laughs with another friend when Tracy finds them and shines them with her naiveté. Soon, however, Tracy finds the ingenuity to show Evie et al that she is suited for the girls and embarks in their world of petty crime, drugs and body piercing. THIRTEEN if nothing else is an expose at how fast this sort of transformation can actually take place. The rewards are the starkly realistic portrayals of daughter Tracy, whose mood swings and demeanor change almost over night into nothing short of a little hoodlum... and that of her mother, Melanie (Hunter), a recovering alcoholic pushing her way through life in a barely kept home by doing haircuts in the kitchen. In short order Evie has become a part of the family, her manipulations placing her where she feels the most comfortable while her own mother (Unger) is a bit of a crusty character herself. But just as easily as the two girls connect and become the closest of friends, signs of trouble and the recognition of the parents pushes the two apart... a realistic touch that doesn't necessarily take these characters to the happy-ever-after After School Special ending that might have been expected. It is a story of truth and possibility in a land that doesn't seem to be paying very close attention any longer... no... that is not an editorial as much as it is, in my opinion, the underlying theme of the film itself. Filmed with a great deal of shaky camera work and establishing shots in and around the Los Angeles Area, THIRTEEN is a film that should probably be viewed by teens and young adults as a precautionary tale of how things often can occur... it is possible, however, that there could be cause to avoid showing the kids under 13 how things turn out... is it too much? I liked THIRTEEN because of its honesty... there were moments I felt to be superfluous... but as a whole Catherine Hardwicke has put together an astounding piece of cinematic license. (A)
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