Thirteen

[oscar jubis]

Hey! It's Chelsea again. I wanted to write another review because I enjoyed the last one so much! This one is about a movie I was dying to see. My father questioned it but decided to let me see it with him. The name of the movie is "Thirteen". I thought it would be interesting to see what it was like because after all I am 13 and I wanted to see why my father wouldn't let me watch a movie about things I'd normally see in school. I found out why later.
The film is about two 13-year-old-girls, Evie and Tracy. Tracy was a nice, smart, well behaved girl. Evie was a troublemaker.Tracy wanted to be cool so she befriended Evie (knowing that she was the "big fish"). From the beggining Evie had a bad influence on Tracy. They started shoplifting merchandise from stores (when Evie invited Tracy to go uh "shopping" with her and her "clique"), then stealing other people's wallets and using their money for clothes. The rest of the movie is basically sex, drugs, alcohol, and stealing (you know crap like that). Tracy starts cutting (self mutilation) because her mother is going out with a man she doesn't get along with (he isn't the "father figure",why you may ask, he is a coke addict). Evie never leaves Tracy's house (even when she knows that Tracy's mom can't afford to feed one more mouth). They beat each other up for fun. They sell and use various drugs. They hit on a 25 year old man. They have sex with some boys they invite over. They pierce their body parts without permission (ok, this one isn't so bad. actually most teens would do this one). They sneak out of a movie that Tracy's mom let them go to so that they can roam around looking like s-l-u-t-s. Later in the school year Tracy notices that she doesn't remember anything that she has previously learned. She states "I don't even remember how to spell photographer!" In the end nobody gets their "just desserts" (but in case you want to see it I don't want to ruin the ending for you).
This movie is worth watching. But the problem is that all these issues are piled up on these two characters. It makes them look like aliens. Real teens wouldn't go out and do all those things. (We are insane teenagers, but we're not dumb teenagers, usually). The movie needed more main characters to spread the problems around. Unless the film was supposed to be about two freaks of nature. Holly Hunter was extrememly impressive. She played Tracy's mother. She watches Tracy metamorphose from her little girl into this stranger that she barely sees around the house anymore. No wonder Hunter is one of my dad's favorites. The acting was wonderful but the script needs some adjustments.
I'm concluding this by saying watch it (if you want), cringe, and gasp, then come read this over and see what I mean. 'Till next time.
-Chelsea Jubis-

[HorseradishTree]

What would I expect from another Jubis?

Great reviews! You ought to just make your own account and come around here more often. You seem like you'd make a great addition to the team.

I hope I'm no longer the runt of the site now that I'm not the youngest one to post anymore. Perhaps a good frolic in the meadows is in order...

[Chris Knipp]

Originally posted by Chelsea Jubis:
But the problem is that all these issues are piled up on these two characters. It makes them look like aliens. Real teens wouldn't go out and do all those things.(We are insane teenagers, but we're not dumb teenagers, usually).

I'm glad to hear you say that speaking as a teen. I thought Thirteen hurt itself by being so overdone. If it had been toned down a bit it would have been a much more believable, touching portrait of the people and the issues involved. The combination of the over-the-top self-destructiveness and the jittery camerawork made me feel nauseous, even though I know there was a lot of authentic stuff in it and the actors did good work. Thanks for the review.

[Chris Knipp]

This develops the ideas further. "Composite" is a good word to use. Now we could put together a better review than the print critics did.

I must add that a friend of mine who grew up in L.A. but is fifty years old said that she saw a lot of her friends from the time of her youth in the two girls in the movie. However, she might accept the idea of the characters being "composite" too, but I'd have to ask her.

I also disliked the excessively jiggly handheld camera. The stuff that was going on was disturbing enough, without having to get dizzy watching it. The same thing is true of a movie about a problem male teen, "Manic", with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the disturbed boy, Lyle, who is in a psych ward for young people. (my Imdb review of "Manic": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252684/usercomments-14.) This was well done (the movie, I mean, not my review), especially compared to the corny, unsure of itself "United States of Leland" with Ryan Gosling, which came and went recently, but I could have done without the jumpy handheld camera, which is merely distracting. As if to make you feel like you're there, you have to feel like your head is being bumped up and down every two seconds.

You may find that us old guys may not get all your teenager online chat jargon. For instance I don't get what you meant by "lol" and at first thought it was a typo. And your use of colored type is quite revolutionary on this site. You may have opened a Pandora's box!

Now maybe you can get some young guys you know to come on board to talk about young guy movies.

[Chris Knipp]

Originally posted by Chelsea Jubis:
It was a "let's-write-down-every-negative-thing-about-teens-and-cram-them-into-two-characters-but-still-make-it-really-great" kind of movie.


That's a great comment. We really could write an excellent review. Is the teenager collaboration really a fake? Don't say that if it isn't true.

I have a goddaughter who is 14. She has changed a lot in the last year. For one thing, now she is out of middle school and a freshman at Berkeley High. She's also become very social, and there are even boys around in her groups that come to the house. She goes out with these groups sometimes, I think: I'm not informed about all her activities. I just know she has changed a lot. She is very brown now because she's on the rowing team. I don't know if Leila would go to see "Thirteen" or even want to. Her faves are Lord of the Rings and stuff about girls who go to London. "Gidget goes to..." kinds of things. "Bend It LIke Beckham." She was first off the mark to see that one, having played soccer for years. So far, anyway. No doubt that menu will change soon. Her parents aren't adventurous omnivorous moviegoers like your dad. He's one of the big experts around here, you know.

Thanks for the explanation of "lol." I know there are a lot of things like that but I never see them here. NOt even "btw," which I kind of dislike.

"Pandora's box," is something you could find on Google. Or look up "One look dictionary" on Google and then type in "Pandora's Box." There's not a lot that you can't find on Google. You can find a lot of quotations, poetry, etc., even in other languages. People think I'm well informed because I know how to get the maximum benefit out of Google. Don't tell anybody.

[HorseradishTree]

*Gasp* Colors! Mine eyes! They buuuurn!

I really have to concur with you fellas about this film. Although absolutely absurd, thirteen still happens to be an important age. A lot of transition happens. The movie just took it to a level of improbability.

[Howard Schumann]

Nice discussion people. I tried to restrain myself but I just had to post my review:

THIRTEEN

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (2003)

In an opening scene, two giggling teenage girls get high, and slap each other in the face until each draws blood. Thirteen introduces us to the modern teenager where the idea of fun is light years away from the days of Gidget, when all girls wanted was to have fun in the surf. Directed by first-time filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke, Thirteen was inspired by actual events in the life of co-author 13-year old Nikki Reed and won the award for Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival. The film takes us on the wildly careening path of two teenage girls as they attempt to navigate a society, where the ultimate goal is, in the author's words, to be "anybody to be somebody".

Shot with a hand-held digital video camera in just over 26 days, Thirteen's camera swoops and tilts to the girls every movement, conveying the image of lives spinning out of control. Before we can get our bearings, Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) is transformed from a sweet and introspective straight-'A' student to a trash-talking, manipulative follower after befriending Evie (Nikki Reed), the hottest girl at Los Angeles' Portola Middle School. When Tracy steals a woman's purse and goes on a shopping spree with Evie, it is only the first step in the gradual disintegration of her personality. Evie convinces Tracy and Melanie to let her move in with them, claiming that the boyfriend of her guardian Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger) beats her.

Tracy's turnaround is shown in a rapid-fire succession of events: tongue and belly button piercing, bare midriffs, makeup, experiments with drugs, sex with cool black boys, and self-inflicted wounds to her arm with razor blades. Tracy's family is concerned, but distracted by their own personal issues. Melanie (Holly Hunter) is an ex-alcoholic who works at home as a hairdresser and lives with her boyfriend Brady (Jeremy Sisto), a recovering cocaine addict. The father is divorced and rarely comes to see Tracy and her younger brother Mason (Brady Corbet) due to business pressures. Holly Hunter is convincing as the well-intentioned but naive mother whose idea of being a parent is to be her daughter's pal. Even when she realizes something is very wrong, she fails to fully comprehend what is going on around her. As Tracy begins to descend further into her private darkness, Mel becomes more confused and her repeated entreaties to Trace that "we have to seriously talk" end up in screaming matches.

Thirteen urgently explores young girls' vulnerability in a culture where they are seen more as a commodity than for the totality of who they are, and where their personal discovery is buried in a world of sex-drenched advertising and exploitation. Although sex, drugs, and body modification have been increasingly common with teenagers for years, the film, unfortunately, ties together a litany of "taboo" behavior designed to instill fear into parents, making no distinction between normal acting out and serious behavioral problems. While Thirteen successfully puts to rest the Hollywood stereotype of the polite and perky teen, in refusing to provide more than a superficial understanding of Tracy's behavior, it suggests a similarly false image of a helpless teen without a moral compass, at the mercy of "bad influences." And by hinting that there is no legitimate way for teenagers to express themselves outside of accepted parental values, Thirteen is as shortsighted as Maurice Chevalier's singing to Leslie Caron 45 years ago "thank heaven for little girls, so helpless and appealing."

GRADE: B-

[Howard Schumann]

Originally posted by chelsea jubis
I loved the review and I'm glad you posted it! (as a rookie I forgot to add a lot of things that you did). Tracy's mother does kind of seem ignorant as to what is going on with the two girls. But, I think she's trying not to "mess up" her daughter's fun because she wants to be a cool, young mom. Evie makes her feel as if she is exactly that. For example, when Evie sees Mel for the first time she says "This is your mom? She's like that hot older sister." That makes Mel feel like "Cool, I'm hot!" She's afraid that if she takes on her "good mom" role she'll lose her "hot older sister" placement. But at the end it all comes out. Thanks very much. As a father of two boys, I can attest to the fact that children may complain but ultimately they need parents to be responsible adults who can exercise authority with fairness.

[HorseradishTree]

*sigh*...I miss the talking dog days...

I really can't talk to any girls anymore about film because it ultimately ends up being a conversation about who was "hot" in the movie. Is that the true goal of movies these days, simply to portray white teeth and smooth skin so as to convince young adults into following these images as idols? I think the decline of Cinematic Civilization has started, and we need to fight back. Our true enemy in this battle is star power.