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Twelve and Holding Reviews
Hold on. Two little psychopaths chucked petrol bombs into a tree house killing a kid who burned to death and the police didn't get involved! You've got to be kidding me. The evidence was all there. Sorry, but I loathe films that aren't realistic.
The greatest 01 hour: and 34 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What an odd movie. While I've long maintained the unpopular opinion that the first episode of Dexter is the only good one, and mostly for Cuesta's beautifully weird direction, his style is still a little too rooted in the TeeVee aesthetic to be truly great. But there is a weird, beguiling rhythm to this movie that had me pretty firmly in its grip, up until some silly third-act plot turns that turned the story from a down-to-earth character study to more of a grand tragedy, which just didn't work for me. But it's still pretty good.
Hardly a top tier entry in the "fucked up coming of age" genre, but an entry all the same, and that's not nothing. The stories start off entwined, but gradually have less and less to do with each other as the film progresses, and one of these three stories, about a boy who eats salad now, feels completely at odds with the rest of the movie. That said, Jeremy Renner does a fantastic job in supporting role, and ups and downs of the tale overall are intriguing enough to merit a recommendation.
Well-done dramedy with excellent performances from the young cast.
This movie was spectacular yet very haunting. It's crazy to think that one event can cause people to grow up so quickly. After a group of young teens witness a friend of theirs being burned to death in a treehouse fire by the local bullies, it changes something in each of them. Unlike most movies made today, this one felt so realistic. I could literally see people acting like they did after the fire. It was kinda unsettling at times. I don't want to go into big details about the movie because I'd hate to spoil anything, but this is one movie surely not to be missed!!! *I love these indie type films. It allows directors to go in any direction they choose, however they are not for everyone and I can understand that.
The young actors turn in very convincing performances, but the weird thing for me was the tonal inconsistency. Often it felt like a happy bright 90s disney movie mixed with heavy adult themes of American Beauty or something like that. The story regarding the young girl's sexual awareness and how she went about her "love" crush on Jeremy Renner was just really weird and felt so out of place with the rest of the movie-it was like watching three separate movies at times even. The young fat kid's dynamic with the family was at times funny even if it was dark, but what he decides to do to his mother in the finale of his story is just so juvenile and truly evil that there's no justification for his actions. It just seemed like an exercise for the writer to design a nightmare scenario for the parents with a completely unjustified and idiotic child. And then the twin's story seemed completely unbelievable- becoming "friends" with his bully that caused his twin brother's death was at first, endearing and I thought it was gonna lead to a nice friendship-but his evil underlying scheme that leads to a murder at the end felt so left field for me. How this bully thought this kid was really going to hitch a ride to his father's state and live with him, ha! Once again, the writers are having a field day for ridiculous adult scenarios involving children. It was engrossing, sure and I like these character studies about family dynamics, relationships and mental issues but this one didn't quite mesh for me. And the ending was intentionally left open ended so as for us to fill in the blanks, but I didn't really feel like we had enough information to do so.
Saw this one a few months back but decided to chuck it up here as it's a lesser known flick - one of those ones they only have one copy of at the video store - but a really good find and a great film. I was blown away in parts of this movie by both the story and the child actors. Some amazing performances that leave you at times forgetting that you are watching relatively young children. Each of the three friend's stories are so different but all are rich, interesting and heartbreaking. The more I think about this movie the more I love it. The characters are fleshed out and real; this is a film about children not for children. The reactions each child has to their friend's death left me a little disturbed at times but moreover touched. Well worth the watch if you can hunt it out.
I'll admit I never would have watched this, let alone known about it, if Jeremy Renner didn't have a part in it. It would have been a shame then if I'd never seen it because everyone in it just blew me away with their performances. It starts off with a sad event, but mostly the movie focuses on three kids (Jacob, Malee and Larry) who are dealing with their own "growing pains", and the adults who affect their lives. While there is a fair amount of heartbreak throughout the film for all, there is also a small glimmer of hope for them by the end, although I was left wondering how Jacob is going to truly deal with what he has done since he will have to face it in some way or other eventually. I highly recommend watching this movie if you get the chance.
Not as great as Stand By Me or Mean Creek but still a good movie with a few unsettling scenes
Honest, engaging, and shocking.
This movie will not only teach about the effects of bullying but the ultimate and untimely consequences that are included. Be prepared to get mad, cry, wonder why, and have confusion hit you all at once.
From one tragedy to another, this movie sucks you in. If you have adolescent kids, you both want them to see this movie, and avoid it. Over the top thematic elements for my 12 year old, but I think would be worthwhile for a 14-17 year old.
I watched this because Jeremy Renner was in it and it's pretty good. His performance was perfect for the character-you could feel his inner torment. It comes on Sundance every once in a while and it's worth a watch.
Rudy: Our birthday comes once a year and you ask for a hockey mask. You don't even play. "Do You Know Who Your Kids Are?" Twelve and Holding reminds me a lot of another Indie movie named George Washington. Both are great films about children's loss of innocence surrounding a death of their friend. In Twelve and Holding, we meet four friends. Two of which are twin brothers named Jacob and Rudy. The other two are Malee and Leonard. Some bullies of the four friends go to burn down their tree house, unaware that they are in it. Rudy dies, and the three other children are left, no longer really children, but not adults either.Twelve and Holding is a sad and hypnotic film. It's also extremely engrossing and compelling. The performances by all the young children are solid, and Jeremy Renner is as good here, as he's ever been. The movie isn't as hard to watch as you would think, and if I described some of the actions of the kids after the death of their friend, it would make you think it would be even harder to watch. The writer and director of Twelve and Holding make the movie a lot easier to watch. They don't go over the top in creating situations that are unrealistic or unwatchable. A few times I thought they were going to take it to far, but they restrained and made the movie all the better because of that restraint. Twelve and Holding probably isn't going to be a movie you fall in love with. The story is too devastating to make it a movie that you want to watch again and again. What it is though, is a good Indie drama about kids that are supposed to be kids, but can't. Situations in life dictate change, and for these kids that change came on earlier than it should have. I highly suggest giving Twelve and Holding a look. It's a relatively unknown work that deserves to be seen. It's a shame that movies like Twelve and Holding get pushed aside and aren't seen as frequently as movies that don't even deserve to be made. I've heard this compared to Stand By Me, and it's a fairly accurate comparison. I still think it's more like George Washington, but very few people have seen that one.
Kid acting kinda got on my nerves. But this is a edgy well written kid issue movie. These movies when done right are the ones that get to my heart. The is a great example.