Thirteen (2003)
83%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: NA
An emotionally wrenching, not to mention terrifying, film about the perils of being a teenager
Thirteen is like a rollercoaster ride that you can’t get off of, even if you want to. The movie is a cautionary tale about the dangers of peer pressure and the lengths that teenagers will go to fit in. The performances are top-notch, especially Evan Rachel Wood, who steals the show with her scorching performance. Catherine Hardwicke’s direction is frenetic and raw, making the brutal realities of modern teenage life hit home. While the script may be a bit overexcited at times, the film’s genuine and gritty portrayal of mother and daughter is wholly from the heart. Overall, Thirteen is a sensational look at the flip side of the American dream that will blow you away.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, Jerry Bruckheimer Films,
Distributor
Fox, 20th Century Fox
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2004
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Jeremy Sisto, Kip Pardue, Sarah Clarke, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Nikki Reed, Catherine Hardwicke, drama, R rating, box office gross $4.6M, reviewed by Amy Taubin, Neil Norman, Nell Minow, Nick Schager, Stella Papamichael, Megan Lehmann, Tom Meek, Kaleem Aftab, Felix Vasquez Jr., Joe Lozito, Betsy Bozdech, Honor student, troubled home life, mother-daughter relationship, peer pressure, drugs, sexuality, pickpocketing, self-destructive behavior, rebellion, teenage angst, adolescence, bullying, conformity, immaturity, competition, friendship, parental intervention, emotional, terrifying, gritty, sensitive, haunting, scorching, star-making performance, poignant, cautionary tale, disturbing, hyperbolic, unlikeable protagonist, natural performances, intense emotion, credible exchanges, unpleasant watch, provocation, obnoxiousness, gross injustice, vulgar, idiotic characters
Worldwide gross: $10,128,960
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $4,601,043
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
Evan Rachel Wood – Tracy
Nikki Reed – Evie Zamora
Jeremy Sisto – Brady
Kip Pardue – Luke
Sarah Clarke – Birdie
Director(s)
Catherine Hardwicke
Writer(s)
Nikki Reed, Catherine Hardwicke
Producer(s)
Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Michael London
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (155) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (126) | Rotten (29)
The script is as overexcited as the girls themselves, and its affirmative ending is unearned.
April 10, 2018
Amy Taubin
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It is here that the performances pay emotional dividends. The sight of Hunter kissing her daughter’s self-inflicted scars as if trying to kiss away the psychological pain that raised them will haunt me for some time.
January 11, 2018
Neil Norman
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Explicit peer pressure story for older teens.
December 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
A rather basic tale about the perils of going along with the in-crowd and the extremes to which teenagers will act out for attention.
May 4, 2005 | Rating: B-
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Hardwicke shows great instincts, using a frenetic documentary style to hammer home the brutal realities of modern teenage life, but rooting it in an unusually sensitive portrait of mother and daughter.
November 25, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Stella Papamichael
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Hunter and Reed are excellent, but it’s the scarily talented 15-year-old Wood whose scorching, star-making performance drives Thirteen.
September 25, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Megan Lehmann
New York Post
TOP CRITIC
Given the room for platitude and cliche, the film’s wholly genuine, gritty and from the heart.
October 3, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Thirteen tries too hard to shock… but it is nonetheless a sensational look at the flip side of the American dream.
April 17, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Kaleem Aftab
The List
An excellent film with a great script, incredible acting, and a truly blunt cautionary tale…
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
July 14, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
No matter how much you’ve heard about the raw pain and reality of Catherine Hardwicke’s debut drama Thirteen, it’s still going to blow you away.
October 29, 2006 | Rating: 4/4
Betsy Bozdech
DVDJournal.com
A horror tale about a subculture in which impressionable girls drift under group pressure into drugs, piercing, self-mutilation, anorexia and shoplifting
November 1, 2005 | Rating: A-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com…
Plot
Thirteen Reasons Why, based on the best-selling books by Jay Asher, follows teenager Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) as he returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers a group of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) -his classmate and crush-who tragically committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah unfolds an emotional audio diary, detailing the thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, Thirteen Reasons Why weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect viewers.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a standout performance from Evan Rachel Wood as troubled teenager Tracy.
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