Thirteen (2003)

August 23, 2022 7:54 AM

Honor student Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood) has a troubling home life, but she is close to her mother, Melanie (Holly Hunter). While trying to conceal her inner turmoil by excelling academically, she befriends the calculating Evie (Nikki Reed), her school's queen bee. Evie talks Tracy into experimenting with drugs, exploring her sexuality, and pickpocketing strangers to finance shopping sprees. Before long, Melanie realizes she must step in and stop her daughter's destructive lifestyle.

Also starring Jeremy Sisto, Sarah Clarke, and Vanesa Hudgens.

Nikki Reed and Catherine Hardwicke wrote the screenplay together, based largely on Reed's own experiences. The character of Tracy, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood, is based on Nikki Reed herself. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke.

81% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on HBO Max. Also available for digital rental on multiple outlets. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (5 comments total)

This is both hyperbolic and harrowing. It contains a lot of searing stuff that feels very true, but also occupies a kind of heightened space, reflecting the overamped perspective of troubled young kids.

This film has ALL the trigger warnings. I mean, not literally... But there's a real panoply of upsetting shit that kids can do or have happen to them.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:56 AM on August 23, 2022

Considering Hartwicke dated Reed’s father, there’s a lot of weirdness around this whole production.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:03 PM on August 23, 2022

This movie was filmed at my middle school!
posted by potrzebie at 6:38 PM on August 23, 2022

I remember seeing this with a friend of mine when it first came out, so we would have both been 20 I guess. We still felt pretty close to our teenage years, and we both thought it was stupid, that we had never known any thirteen year olds who were even remotely like this, and that it felt like some old person's nightmare of what teenagers are like.

I'm curious if I'd have a different take on it now... but it's hard for me to shake the feeling that it was a bad movie. I know this is unreasonable, but it put me off ever wanting to see Evan Rachel Wood in a production again.
posted by Alex404 at 6:16 AM on August 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

I mean... now that I've thought about this a bit more, I guess we also knew some pretty wild teenagers... but they were also nice? I think we also just remembered struggling with parents who had super heightened ideas of what we were actually up to. Most teenagers are just awkward, and trying to muddle through like everyone else.

It's funny how this movie apparently still annoys me 20 years later.
posted by Alex404 at 6:38 AM on August 24, 2022