Thirteen (USA) (Fox Searchlight) (2003) ***1/2Year: 2003iMDB
Director: Catherine Hardwicke Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Holly Hunter
A movie about a teenage girl that decides to stop being a "little girl" and turn into a "cool" young lady, doesn't sound like anything too special. However, Thirteen manages to give a very realistic portrayal of the quite typical transition that such a girl can go through in a world where temptations abund. Evan Rachel Wood gives a perfect performance as the main character, Terry, who switches from writing beautiful poems to shoplifting and pot smoking. She shows a real range of emotions which is quite rare for a sixteen year old actress. Nikki Reed is equally good as the cool model that Terry starts immitating in every aspect. Impressively enough Reed is also credited as co-writer of the screenplay. Finally, Holly Hunter is Terry's divorced mother, who tries to be both cool big-sister, best friend and mother for her daughter and who gets caught in the flow of events and is struggling to find a way to keep her daughter on the right track. A potentially ordinary movie is lifted by an honest script and great acting.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on December 13, 2003 01:10 PM | TrackBack