12 and Holding | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Michael Cuesta |
Written by | Anthony Cipriano |
Produced by | Brian Bell Michael Cuesta Jenny Schweitzer Leslie Urdang Amy Robinson |
Starring | Conor Donovan Jesse Camacho Zoe Weizenbaum Jeremy Renner |
Cinematography | Romeo Tirone |
Edited by | Eric Carlson Kane Platt |
Music by | Pierre Földes |
Distributed by | IFC Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $119,195 [2] |
12 and Holding is a 2005 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Conor Donovan, Jesse Camacho, Zoe Weizenbaum, and Jeremy Renner. The film is distributed by IFC Films and was released on May 19, 2006 in limited theaters. [3]
12-year-olds Rudy Carges and his overweight friend Leonard Fisher spend the night inside their treehouse after teenage bullies Jeff and Kenny threaten to destroy it. Jeff and Kenny arrive and set the treehouse on fire, not knowing Rudy and Leonard were in there until too late. Leonard escapes unharmed but then falls to the ground unconscious, while Rudy is burned to death offscreen. Rudy's twin brother Jacob, a boy with a huge birthmark, decides to seek revenge against the bullies. At the hospital, Leonard recovers and finds out he lost his sense of taste and smell. Leonard is then prompted by his gym teacher to go on a diet, which isn't welcomed by his obese family. The boys' female friend Malee tries to befriend an adult named Gus, a grief-stricken patient of her therapist mother Carla. Jacob's family falls apart after the death of his brother, but soon after they adopt a boy named Keith Gardner. Meanwhile, Malee begins to have a crush on Gus and changes the song for her recital to one Gus liked. As time goes by, she sees Gus as her "soul mate". She sneaks into his house one night to find him grieving. Afraid to confront him, Malee steals his gun and leaves. She gives the gun to Jacob the following day.
Jacob's mother gets furious when she finds out Jeff and Kenny are being put in juvenile hall for only one year, while Jacob's father views Rudy's death as an accident. Jacob spends the next few months visiting Jeff and Kenny, and threatens them, until eventually Jeff commits suicide. Jacob sees Kenny grieving, so Jacob forgives and befriends Kenny; soon learning Kenny has an early release and is illegally moving to New Mexico. Meanwhile, Leonard's father decides to take his sisters to Florida instead of Leonard (who would usually go). Leonard decides to force his mother to lose weight by trapping her in the cellar. They both end up in the hospital after a gas leak in their home. Next, Jacob and Kenny agree that Jacob can go with him to New Mexico. Malee visits Gus and removes her clothes in an attempt to seduce him. Instead, Gus calls Malee's mother to come and pick her up. The next day, Gus explains to therapist Carla about the last fire he ever fought (which involved killing an injured little girl, upon the girl's request), claiming that Malee wanted him to take her pain away, as he was aware of her growing crush on him.
Meanwhile, Jacob's mother tells him that Keith Gardner wasn't adopted to replace Rudy, and that she wants Kenny dead, which reminds Jacob of his planned revenge. The night of escape for Jacob finally comes and he meets up with Kenny. Jacob insists on going through a construction site which he says is a secret route. Once there, Jacob points Gus's gun at Kenny, and tells him "you killed him" before shooting him dead. Jacob buries the body and leaves. He returns in the daytime, and sees Gus spreading cement above Kenny's grave, knowing the evidence is gone.
Malee begins visiting her estranged father and Leonard's family finally starts eating healthily. Jacob returns home without telling anyone what he did.
12 and Holding received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% approval rating, based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "This shocking pre-teen drama manages, through realistic performances and a sense of empathy, to avoid exploitation and instead deliver something honest and haunting." [4]
Writing for About.com, critic Marcy Dermansky said, "Writers are often encouraged to provide moments of [epiphany] and revelation for their characters; 12 and Holding provides three transformations, and each is not only convincing, but also moving". [5]
In a review for Slant Magazine , Keith Uhlich criticized "Anthony S. Cipriano’s contrivance-heavy screenplay and Michael Cuesta’s Six Feet Under -tutelaged direction", saying the film "comes off as something of a neo-con paranoid fantasy, its wayward trio of suburban youth standing in for the ills of America". [6]
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 1991 American coming-of-age black comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz, and Josh Charles. The plot focuses on a 17-year-old girl who assumes the role as head of the house when the elderly babysitter whom her mother had hired to watch over her kids while she is in Australia suddenly dies.
Connie and Carla is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck and starring Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, and David Duchovny. The screenplay was written by Vardalos.
Used Cars is a 1980 American satirical black comedy film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story follows Rudy Russo, a devious salesman, working for affable, but monumentally unsuccessful used-car dealer Luke Fuchs. Luke's principal rival, located directly across the street, is his more prosperous brother, Roy L. Fuchs, who is scheming to take over Luke's lot. The film also stars Deborah Harmon and Gerrit Graham, and the supporting cast includes Frank McRae, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Joe Flaherty, Al Lewis, Dub Taylor, Harry Northup, Dick Miller, and Betty Thomas.
Humongous is a 1982 Canadian slasher film directed by Paul Lynch, and starring Janet Julian, John Wildman, and David Wallace. The story centers on a group of young adults who become stranded on a deserted island, where they are stalked and murdered by a monstrous assailant.
George of the Jungle 2 is a 2003 comedy film and the sequel to the 1997 Disney film George of the Jungle. It was directed by David Grossman and written by Jordan Moffet. The film stars Thomas Haden Church, Julie Benz, Christina Pickles, Angus T. Jones, Michael Clarke Duncan, John Cleese, and introducing Christopher Showerman in his film debut as George.
Zoë Weizenbaum is a former American actress, most recognized for her roles in Memoirs of a Geisha and 12 and Holding.
Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by John Cherry. It stars Jim Varney and Eartha Kitt. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and the fourth film in the Ernest series, after Ernest Goes to Jail (1990). In the film, Ernest unwittingly unleashes an evil troll upon a small town on Halloween night and helps the local children fight back.
The Lookout is a 2007 American crime film written and directed by Scott Frank, in his directorial debut, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Bruce McGill, and Isla Fisher.
"Born Free" is the twelfth episode of season one and first-season finale of the American television drama series Dexter, which aired on December 17, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode also aired on May 4, 2008 on CTV in Canada; on May 14, 2008 on FX in the UK; on September 28, 2008 on Channel Ten in Australia; and on March 21, 2011 on STAR World in India. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and executive producer Melissa Rosenberg, and was directed by Michael Cuesta. Based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the season featured many differences to the original source, mainly in the lead-up to and revelation of the identity of the "Ice Truck Killer". The episode received critical acclaim.
Mama's Boy is a 2007 American comedy-drama film starring Diane Keaton and Jon Heder, and features music by Mark Mothersbaugh. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. for a limited release to certain regions of the United States. Mama's Boy was directed by Tim Hamilton.
Mother and Son is a 1997 Russian film directed by Aleksandr Sokurov, depicting the relationship between an old, dying mother and her young son. It was Sokurov's first internationally acclaimed feature film, and is the first volume of a planned trilogy whose subject matter is the study of the drama in human relationships. It is followed by Father and Son (2003), and planned to be followed by Two Brothers and a Sister, the final installment, though as of 2019 this last has not been made; his Alexandra (2007) is sometimes considered part of this series, as another film on similar themes. It was entered into the 20th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Special Silver St. George.
Bluebeard is a 2009 French drama fantasy film written and directed by Catherine Breillat and starring Lola Créton. It is based on the classic fairy tale Bluebeard, by Charles Perrault.
The Lucky One is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks and released in April 2012. It is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2008 novel of the same name.
The Congress is a 2013 live-action/animated science-fiction drama film written and directed by Ari Folman, based on Stanisław Lem's 1971 Polish science-fiction novel The Futurological Congress. It stars Robin Wright as a fictionalized version of herself who agrees to have a film studio use a digital clone of her in any film they want. The Congress then flashes forward twenty years later to her travels in the studio's animated utopia world, where anyone can become an avatar of themselves, but are required to use hallucinogenic drugs to enter a mutable illusory state. The Congress premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2013. Independent film distributor Drafthouse Films announced, along with Films We Like In Toronto, their co-acquisition of the North American rights to the film and a US theatrical and VOD/digital release planned for 2014.
Las Acacias is a 2011 Argentine drama film directed by Pablo Giorgelli. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Not Fade Away is a 2012 American drama film directed by David Chase.
The Do-Over is a 2016 American buddy action comedy film directed by Steve Brill, and written by Kevin Barnett and Chris Pappas. The movie follows Charlie and Max after Max fakes their deaths in order to start their lives anew. Things go awry when they discover that the dead men whose identities they have adopted were entangled in criminal activities. Paula Patton, Kathryn Hahn and Luis Guzmán also star.
Brothers' Nest is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama thriller film directed by Clayton Jacobson and starring him and his brother Shane Jacobson, reuniting the two after 2006's Kenny.
Sadie is a 2018 American independent drama film. Written and directed by Megan Griffiths, it stars Melanie Lynskey, Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale, John Gallagher Jr., and Sophia Mitri Schloss. It began a limited theatrical run on October 12, 2018, receiving positive reviews from critics, particularity for the performances of Lynskey and Schloss.
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 2024 American coming-of-age black comedy film and remake of the 1991 film. It was directed by Wade Allain-Marcus, written by Chuck Hayward and stars Simone Joy Jones, Ms. Pat, Jermaine Fowler, June Squibb, and Nicole Richie while Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, and Danielle Harris from the first movie make cameos. It tells the story of a teenage girl who takes care of her siblings after their strict babysitter dies in her sleep while their mother is away and gets a job at a fashion company to make ends meet.