i myself am 13, and while i've never experienced most of the characters experiences, i feel like i can still say that this film is very important for kids growing up to watch, and for parents to have a better understanding of their children. i'm sure that as a parent it could be horrifying to watch, seeing as the characters are 13, but it's still very necessary to watch. there is a lot of explicit content and some very disturbing scenes depicting self harm, which could be scary to view. overall this movie made me feel sad and left me with a better understanding of people my age, and how we are all having scary experiences, and how we are all in pain. i recommend this movie to parents and kids, just maybe they shouldn't watch together. this movie is a 10/10.

Fourteen years later, I've finally gotten around this film. The premise for me, was quite shocking. By no means was the seventh grade an innocent period in my community. Rumors of light sexual activity and getting high at the park are more or less expectations of the beginning of the teen years. The hard drugs and sex however served as somewhat of a shocker. Strange, the difference one or two years makes in perception. At fourteen I would raise an eyebrow. At fifteen I'd be horrified, but not at all shocked. The thing Hardwick does so impressively here is the realism she creates not just for those privy to this kind of behavior, but those such as myself who have seen it only on occasion. The fact that Reed herself helped write the script at only fifteen years old undoubtedly plays a hand.

Wood, Reed, et al all dazzling, there's no other word to describe it. We feel every uncomfortable, exciting, horrifying and unbelievable moment along with the characters shrouded in a sense of sadness for girls so young. As we enter the 2010s and the new nostalgic period of the 90s and early 00s there are not many films that portray our former lives in a way that is not cringe-inducing or laughable. Here, even the disastrous high-rise-thong/low-cut jean combination still holds some admiration. The long gone (thank goodness) trends still hold sway and you may find yourself looking enviously at the bright clothes and belly tops. The cinematography is fantastic, the music sublime. All in all a 4.5/5 in this book and certainly highly recommended.

Pretty excellent movie. Reminded me of kids a lot in how gritty and well done it is. Excellent acting good writing. Focuses on 2 girls in middle school getting into a lot of drugs boys and acting out to pass their parents off. The mom mel has her own interesting side story with sobriety and the girls dad and her new boyfriend. It all twists together really well.

At the beginning of "Thirteen", Tracy is walking her dog Hampton. Afterwards, with freestyle camera shooting, Melanie(played by Holly Hunter), Tracy's mom, and Tracy are seen close-up by the car in the driveway. There are faint beams of sunlight, striped against the shadows along the gravel, and also, on the beautiful palm plants against the walls of their home. Tracy's voice is squeaky with excitement. Tracy and her brother, Mason, are being driven to school.
Before all this has happened, however, Tracy and her friend Evie, had been in Tracy's bedroom. They were slapping each other across the face, hard. They were realising the potential in a drug they had taken. Later on, at school, Tracy is eating her lunch on an outdoor terrace of the lunchroom. She is passed by Evie, who gives Tracy a glance but doesn't stop to talk. Tracy follows Evie and the two liaison around the corner. Evie says: "Call me after school-we can go shopping on Melrose."
Tracy responds, "ok", and then out of sight of Evie, she dances mildly, but with great anticipation. On Melrose-a street? A square? The girls, Evie, and another friend are shoplifting from the designer clothing store. Tracy goes outside feeling rejected. Tracy sits down on a bench next to a woman weighted down with packages and other articles. The woman is on the phone and Tracy sees the bustling ladies' wallet. Tracy carefully snatches the black money-holder. Tracy meets the other girls on the corner and says: "I totally just stole this."
The film takes off from there. We are now watching a series of montages about the profligacy of thirteen year olds. We respect that one knows what she is doing, Evie(played by Nikki Reed), and that the other, Tracy(played by Evan Rachel Wood), is on an adventure but does not yet, fully, appreciate her actions.
Tracy goes home, unabashed, and asks Mason, her brother :"Guess who's the hottest girl in school?"-but there is another dimension to these actions. Tracy is engulfed by a freedom which focuses her sight on incandescent goals which are weightless and super inclusive. These characters orbit around each other, especially Tracy and Evie. Unlike the planets, there's no colorful world set in a void of deep blackness. With these two it's the moment to live for, and the best friends are a synergy tackling time for pleasure and social intercourses.
Evie, an instagator, has a special gift; it is the ability to detract from the subtle forces of trouble. When Evie is introduced to Melanie, Tracy's mother(affectionately called 'Mel'), Evie says: "No way, she's like the hot big sister!" This realm has been breached by Evie in the past, and, at the right time, Evie exudes confidence to a dizzying degree. It's a genius quality. Likewise, Tracy is much distressed by her mother's new boyfriend-we don't know all the details of Tracy's oppression, but it is causing within Tracy an angst, and a similar ability to thwart attention away from things that would otherwise be singled out as eccentric behavior. Opposite of this 'melancholia', if the girls are 'GO', then everything is going to be all right. There is no need for the more stable natures of Tracy and Evie to take over. Why cut off a fine-grained sequence of events, seek out quiet moods-new or inquisitive settings?
I read in Wikipedia that "the film stock was transferred to the digital domain." One asks, has Catherine Hardwicke(director/co-writer) and Fox Searchlight been in my head? The scenes are drenched in real sunlight, perfect shadows are cast, and the darks and brights meld together seamlessly. It is a canvas that states; here is the meditation that embraced you in childhood. I was a boy, these are girls. The girls are a self-contained reality, floating in an untainted idyllic turbulence. Another moment which transpires fluidly is when Tracy and Evie come home inebriated. They're not acting right, and Tracy throws a stack of play money from a board game into the air. The camera follows the fresh and jocular faces of the two friends down the hall-again with lights and darknesses shared brilliantly. Tracy leans against her bedroom wall, closely her face is exposed. Melanie(Mel) comes in. She wants to know what's under Tracy's shirt. Tracy had her bellybutton pierced and is wearing a ring. Melanie in distress asks: "I'm not allowed to see your body anymore?" Tracy states plainly that: "You are not." As Tracy experiences rage at her mother, this introverted anguish comes upon Tracy, as confidence overcomes Evie, and Tracy unconsciously deflects the subject of her and Evies' goings-on.
We have been subdued, despite the poetry, life is still threaded like lithium in a circuit. Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter are able to mutate volatile contradictions in their stayed acting and defillbrated faerie-like forms. Nikki Reed has a Venus stance, with her powerful smile.
Watch-the girls are hooking up again. Then comes the ending.
As this non-articulated sustenance is cumulously dispensed, a sharp dramatic twist means that this is still a conflict. In a sprite defection, as one clique is broken to make another; now the viewer has to contend with the trauma of realisation. I had such a profound connection with Tracy. I feel like I lived through her. With Tracy, her gamble with drugs will not destroy her. It was always about, well, just the getting of joy. The worst fixation, the use of chemicals for the sake of surviving, or for 'feeling good' was not her motivation.

I was maybe 12 or 13 when I first saw this movie after I rented it from the library. My mom was really strict and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I rented this with a dvd of "Wishbone" just to show my mom that it was an okay and appropriate movie. I have no clue to this day how she let me rent it. She's never seen it I guess. I am now in my 30's and still love it. It shows a wild and crazy grow up of two girls. Lots of drugs and partying and boys. One loses herself to fit in with the popular girls and starts cutting herself and trying drugs. The other is a popular girl who is pretty and all the boys wanted, but she also had destructive behaviors. At 13, I would daydream about "being cool" and dressinf hot like them. In my 30's, I'm glad I wasn't like either of them. Even with the drug use and other adult topics, it's a good movie and if I ever had a daughter, I would let her watch it. It's a wild ride and it just shows two pretty normal teens growing up on a rough path through life.

A hard to find flick which is one of my all time favorites back in my early adulthood! I can't find it in any of my video streaming subscriptions so I'm glad it was available to physically own via Amazon! They just don't make relatable movies like this for teens nowadays, the world has gotten too sensitive. A great flick for both high schoolers and parents to have a better understanding of the struggles teens often go through as they slowly discover themselves.

To me, this is a must watch for teens and parents as it shows just how fast the pressures of fitting in can cause a teen to start acting out. It also shows what can happen to teens who cannot deal and will do anything to escape. It is a raw, unfiltered movie that is made to be realistic due to the shooting style and I applaud the efforts of invovled as I truly believe this was a great movie with a good message.

I have loved this movie for years. It is about some heavy and tumultuous situations but very simple in its approach and execution. Written by a teenage girl about her experiences the simplicity and honesty shines through. And Holly Hunter is really fun in this movie. Listen to a young girls trouble in her own words. I think of it as a more basic and gritty story like unto White Oleander. It has wained a bit over the years, but still a good flick.