Sweet Sixteen (2003)
93%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A bleak, but heartbreaking coming-of-age tale that resonates with truth.
Sweet Sixteen is a coming-of-age film that will make you feel like you’re watching a documentary. The rawness of the movie is both profane and tender, and the performances are urgent and convincing. Compston’s debut performance is remarkable, and Loach’s direction creates a thoroughly believable environment. It’s a bit of a downer, but it’s well-acted, compassionate, and relevant. Plus, it’s a great reminder that turning sixteen isn’t always sweet.
Production Company(ies)
Toho Company,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 46m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:China
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 7, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Martin Compston, directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bill Muller, Rebecca O’Brien, R rating, Liam, Pinball, Chantelle, Suzanne, Jean, Stan, coming-of-age, crime, family, poverty, drug mule, drug dealing, bleak, heartbreaking, intense, emotional, realistic, society differences, British class, violence, heroine junkie, prison, Scottish boy, home, theft, drug addiction, raw, tender, documentary, harsh truths, evenhanded, natural appeal, believable environment, downer, well-acted, compassion, relevant, intense moments, touching, unethical, sad lives, violence, crime, dramatic, emotional, amateurs, dark, disconnected, audience reviews
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
William Ruane – Pinball
Annmarie Fulton – Chantelle
Michelle Abercromby – Suzanne
Michelle Coulter – Jean
Gary McCormack – Stan
Director – Ken Loach
Producer – Rebecca O’Brien
Writer – Paul Laverty
Director(s)
Ken Loach
Writer(s)
Paul Laverty
Producer(s)
Rebecca O’Brien
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (85) | Rotten (3)
Using mostly unknown and first-time actors, Loach spins a passable coming-of-age tale, which should please his fans and provides a diversion for the rest of us.
August 7, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Despite this film’s title, don’t expect something light and fluffy.
June 27, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
From its gripping immediacy to its strong cast of unknowns, Sweet Sixteen feels almost like a documentary. Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty keep an evenhanded focus on harsh truths, and avoid melodrama and grandstanding.
June 27, 2003 | Rating: B+
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
There’s a profane but strangely tender rawness to this sometimes brutal movie, anchored by Compston’s remarkably assured debut performance.
June 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
A raw movie, but it relies on the natural appeal of its main character and the skill with which Loach creates a thoroughly believable environment.
June 20, 2003 | Rating: B+
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
TOP CRITIC
The film is so alive, the performances so urgent and convincing, that it’s as if Loach had just discovered the subject matter.
June 13, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Loach has fashioned an achingly true portrait of a young man’s despairing attempts to better his life, but coming up against social obstructions both visible and invisible.
February 3, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
…a better-than-average slice-of-life kitchen-sink drama that benefits substantially from Compston’s star-making performance.
January 18, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
August 11, 2012 | Rating: B+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
July 16, 2005 | Rating: 2/4
James Verniere
Boston Herald
Under Loach’s deft hand, it feels indisputably real … An undeniable downer, but hellaciously well acted, brimming with compassion, and relevant in a way that doesn’t chafe.
January 21, 2005
Andrew Wright
Portland Mercury…
Plot
A beautiful lonely girl named Melissa tries to make new friends from a town she’s currently living in. The only problem is, each of the boys that she spends time with end up brutally murdered. Her sixteenth birthday is on the way, but Melissa turns out to be a suspect when it seems she’s the last person who has seen her boyfriends alive.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Martin Compston delivers a remarkably assured debut performance as the lead character Liam in Sweet Sixteen.
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