Thirteen | Rotten Tomatoes

Thirteen

R

Released Aug 20, 2003

1h 40m

Drama

List

81%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

77%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

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 -- but before long, Melanie realizes she must step in and stop her daughter's destructive lifestyle.

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Critics Consensus

An emotionally wrenching, not to mention terrifying, film about the perils of being a teenager.

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Amy Taubin

Film Comment Magazine

The script is as overexcited as the girls themselves, and its affirmative ending is unearned.

Apr 10, 2018

Full Review

Neil Norman

London Evening Standard

It is here that the performances pay emotional dividends. The sight of Hunter kissing her daughter's self-inflicted scars as if trying to kiss away the psychological pain that raised them will haunt me for some time.

Jan 11, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Explicit peer pressure story for older teens.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 29, 2010

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

The film remains a searing time capsule of a place, and a timeless elegy for that messy period in girls’ lives that we’re all lucky if we make it out in one piece.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

Given the room for platitude and cliche, the film's wholly genuine, gritty and from the heart.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 3, 2020

Full Review

Kaleem Aftab

The List

Thirteen tries too hard to shock... but it is nonetheless a sensational look at the flip side of the American dream.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 17, 2019

Full Review

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s a

not bad kinda sad but really good acting

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/24

Full Review

olive r

it made me bawl my eyes out by the end so it gets a A.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Will B

Tells the story of troublesome teenagers who go off the rails. Not much of a storyline but easy watching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Cole N

This was a tough watch at times. Very emotionally intense, aided by chaotic camerawork. Extremely dark themes. I think the fact these girls are supposed to be in 7th grade was a little ridiculous; I laughed out loud when I was reminded of this late in the movie. The story remains the same if they are cast as high schoolers (which matches their age). More about their age: uncomfortable scenes throughout as these teenage girls put their sexuality on display. While it's (brutally) realistic, I found myself wondering at times if this is something that should really be on display at all, a la Cuties. Otherwise, I think it does a great job of showing the intense complexity of emotionally troubled teenage girls, complete with image issues, manipulation, histrionic sexual behavior, etc.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/21/24

Full Review

John A

Director Hardwicke presents a more dark coming-of-age narrative that has the kind of caustic tone found in a proper thriller. Evan Rachel Wood fits the central role like a glove and the cinematographer evokes a very fly-on-the-wall sort of perspective in the photography.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

Destah O

Amazing. Story told extremely well, and has so much emotional depth and realism. It's very accurate in the lives of some teenagers. It's nostalgic and evokes so many emotions. Amazing actresses and just an overall AMAZING movie. 10/10!!! 🍿 ❤️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

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Catherine Hardwicke

Director

Holly Hunter

Melanie

Evan Rachel Wood

Tracy

Nikki Reed

Evie Zamora

Jeremy Sisto

Brady

Kip Pardue

Luke

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Synopsis

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 -- but before long, Melanie realizes she must step in and stop her daughter's destructive lifestyle.

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Producer: Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Michael London
Screenwriter: Nikki Reed, Catherine Hardwicke
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, Fox
Production Co: Michael London Productions, Antidote Films
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Self Destructive Violence|Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.6M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround

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