In 1979, a film called Over the Edge perfectly captured the angst of being a teenager. That film, although it looks somewhat dated today, still has not been topped in its spot-on portrayal of teenage boredom, non-attentive adults, non-attentive school systems and all the possible pitfalls of growing up, including sex, drugs and, well, you get the idea.
Thirteen tries to do the same thing for a newer generation. Its ace-in-the-hole is a script co-written by a thirteen year old (Nikki Reed, who also co-stars in the film.) One would think that might help make the film more believable because it would provide situations as seen through the eyes of today’s teenager. What actually happens on screen seems almost improbable rather than thought-provoking or insightful.
Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) is a slightly nerdy thirteen year old girl who lives with her mom, Melanie (Holly Hunter), and her older brother. Tracy is attractive, but not slutty. She’s smart but not popular. When she begins a new school year, it’s apparent that most of the boys’ attention is on Evie Zamora (Reed), the “hottest girl in school.” Evie dresses like a skank and hangs out with similarly dressed girls. Tracy is crushed when Evie notices her nerdy socks and comments on how stupid they look. She’s so crushed, in fact, that she throws them in the trash when she gets home and demands that her poor hairdresser mom take her shopping for new clothes. After scoring some new duds, Tracy makes a connection with Evie, who invites her to go shopping after school. But shopping to Evie means shoplifting and, after pondering right and wrong for about ten seconds, Tracy steals a cash-heavy purse and the girls go on a shopping spree. Instant bonding ensues.
Evie corrupts Tracy by introducing her to a world of sex, drugs and instant gratification. Tracy goes from an innocent, poetry-writing young girl to a multi-pierced, drug snorting, wanna-be slut in approximately 10 minutes of screentime. This is my first problem with Thirteen. Before the first reel-change, Tracy is completely enamored with Evie’s lifestyle. When the second reel begins, Evie and Tracy are such seemingly close friends that, for a moment, I thought the print of the film had been put together out-of-order. How could they possibly be that close and how could one girl possibly have that much influence over another in so little time?
I could understand this brainwashing if Tracy had come from a home that was full of pain and suffering, but the film goes to great lengths to paint her mother, Melanie, as a bleeding heart that would help anyone in any situation. She obviously has problems of her own — and who doesn’t — but there doesn’t seem to be any apparent neglect of her daughter’s well-being. By making Mel out to be a decent mother, I felt more sorry for her than for Tracy as the film progressed. And as the film progresses, it seems that the script just provides excuses to put two slutty teenage girls in various exploitative situations simply for voyeuristic purposes.
It’s a shame that the script is so vapid because the performances are mostly solid. Holly Hunter is great as Melanie, the burdened mother. Evan Rachel Wood, while appropriately histrionic as Tracy, seems like she’ll snap out of it at any moment and be a nice kid again, which doesn’t help her out here. Nikki Reed’s Evie is as vile and skanky as she should be in this role. Jeremy Sisto, who some might recognize from HBO’s Six Feet Under, is well-utilized in his role as Mel’s sometime boyfriend.
Thirteen might have impressed some critics with its arty direction and what it accomplishes with an obviously low-budget, but I was not taken in by its visual charms and attractive young leads. Maybe I just don’t understand what it’s like to be a teenage girl, but I found it too hard to believe a smart young woman would throw her life in the toilet because she wanted to be friends with the “popular” crowd. I just couldn’t do it. Sue me.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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