Thirteen (2003)
"Hello? We asked for 'Malibu' Barbie!"
Starring: |
Evan Rachel Wood |
Released By: |
Working Title Films |
Released In: |
2003 |
Rated: |
R |
Reviewed By: |
The Boneman |
Grade: |
B+ |
Thirteen plays as a number of things, certainly a cautionary tale for anyone who is raising children (I have a 5 & 6 year old daughters and they're both off to the Convent), it's also quite a masterful look at how a dysfunctional family can foster rebellious and self-destructive behavior. First time director Catherine Hardwicke does a serviceable job of keeping this film from feeling like an After-School-Special, and yet tempering with enough reality so that it's not just a shock-fest like "Kids."
I guess the most interesting part about this story is that one of the main characters (Evie Zamora) Nikki Reed co-wrote the script based largely on her own experience. It's definitely gritty and frank, but never once did I doubt that this film was depicting exactly how it is out there for kids these days. Reed's character is the catalyst that sets off one hell of a performance from the up and coming Evan Rachel Wood.
Wood's Mother is played by Holly Hunter who gives the film a sturdy grounding in reality and who turns in one of the most fearless performances of her career. She is a divorced mother, recovering alcoholic, whose control over her daughter is always shakey because of Hunters relationship with her on-again off-again boyfriend, played well by Jeremy Sisto. Wood exploits this weakness in her mother's character to gain the upper hand in their relationship dynamic and together they spend much of the film making each other completely miserable, though their mutual love for one another is as evident as could be.
The trouble starts when Wood's longing for popularity at school gets a major boost when she impresses young "hottie of the month" (Reed). Before you can say reform school Reed has introduced her into a world of sex, drugs and theft that Wood takes to like an old pro. Before long Wood is piling up addictions and issues at school and begins a tailspin that I won't tell you any more about. This is a tough film to watch for anyone much less the parents of young girls. And though it's not a great film, it's a pretty darned impressive one, particularly from a first time director, a teenage script writer and (at this point) unproven Evan Rachel Wood.
Wood chews this film a new one and will no doubt make her agent a happy man, and as for Holly Hunter, her portrayal of a caring mother, still clinging to her own girlhood dreams of happiness, who tries in vain to keep everyone happy - is heartbreakingly real. This performance, however, didn't surprise me in the slightest, Hunter has long been one of our best actresses.
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