“Thirteen” is another movie about out of control f****d-up teenagers. In “Thirteen,” the f****d-up teens are two young girls (thirteen-years-old hence the title) Tracy and Evie. Tracy and Evie commit shocking crimes such as shoplifting, smoking pot, messing around with boys, ditching school and fighting with their parents. Pretty much what all teenagers do. This isn’t a new spin on Bret Easton Ellis, it’s more like a 90-minute “Saved By The Bell” episode with better music.
This flick has garnered a lot of attention on the indie circuit because 13-year-old Nikki Reed, who also plays Evie in the film, wrote the script. And this is the biggest problem with “Thirteen,” the script totally sounds like it was written by a 13-year-old. It’s probably not Reed’s fault; after all she was 13 when she wrote the script. But what point of reference does a 13-year-old have about the world or even script writing. What is clichéd and obvious to us older folk, is shocking and new to a young teen.
Holly Hunter and Jeremy Sisto kick a*s as the two leads. First time director Catherine Hardwick does a great job of leading the ensemble, but all the cool camera moves in the world and even an Academy Award winning actress can’t save “Thirteen” from feeling like an After School Special about mildly messed up kids.
