12 and Holding
by Michael Cuesta
List Price:
Our Price: $17.99
You Save: $1.96 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $5.37 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Annabella Sciorra, Conor Donovan, Jeremy Renner, Jesse Camacho, Zoe WeizenbaumDirector: Michael Cuesta
Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Ifc
DVD Reviews of 12 and Holding
DVD Review: So Much Better Than I Thought It Would Be
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was so dynamic... The young actors were surprisingly seasoned and the supporting cast was an all time greatest hits list... I never saw the end coming!DVD Review: Stunning!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent movie. Powerful with a profound message. An example of the influence of society on kids. Parents, watch your kids and get some psychotherapy for yourselves. Good acting by young children. Totally recommended!DVD Review: Very powerful film that slowly gets to you
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Cuesta's 12 and Holding isn't a particularly showy film. It's shot very basically and obviously on a small budget. There's a small amount of fairly big-name talent among the adult cast but most of the kids are relatively unknown actors. Everyone though does an excellent job in bringing the viewer into this world and this situation. (aside from the occasionally over-acted line or 2.)
Two twins, one with a major birthmark covering half his face who lives in his brother's shadow, defend their treehouse from bullies, who decide to burn it down, which accidentally kills the popular brother. The movie's about a group of 3 friends who spend most of the movie apart, and over the span of several months, each deal with their lives in their own ways. Jake, the surviving brother, has the only story that seems to be specifically about him grieving over his brother; he deals with his depressed parents, frequently goes to juvenile hall to visit his brother's killers, who he taunts with pictures of his dead brother, and dealing with his parents' decision to adopt a kid.
The other 2 kids, though, (one a fat kid named Leonard and a girl named Malee) say they have moved on, and sure enough, their plots deal very little with the death. Leonard, who lost his ability to taste food since the incident, decides to desperately begin losing weight. He attempts to force his very overweight family to join him. Malee, meanwhile, reveals herself to be a very lonely girl who clings to an adult construction worker she has a thing for. He's probably the best character in the movie, and is acted extremely well. This plot turns out to resonate the most. Although neither of these two friends seem to be openly grieving over the death, these plots and their actions reveal somewhat disturbed and sad characters, who have been clearly messed up by the death, even though they (and the movie) never specifies this.
The movie, although the actual death is early in the film and many of the funeral proceedings happen offscreen, makes EXCELLENT use of songs that are both ambient and eerie. These are sprinkled throughout the film and always served to somehow remind me of the tragedy early on in the film and they keep an otherworldly air flowing throughout.
The movie's not perfect. I found many of the adults to be pretty irritating (except for the construction worker, who'se the only adult in the movie who doesn't seem to be a cliche) and I also thought the fat kid's story seemed to be extremely reminiscent of a bad sitcom. It just didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the movie. Aside from the excellent licensed music, the actual soundtrack that was COMPOSED for the film's extremely week. The same song plays frequently, and other music just seems to further bring to light the feel of a bad sitcom.
But this is all completely forgotten by the time the film reaches its very powerful ending...which has definitely divided the opinions of several people who have seen it. Some may call it "out of nowhere," but it all made complete sense to me. This kid was NOT alright, and getting closure was important to him and that was what he felt he had to do....and it all just sort of clicked at the end. It was these final scenes that left the biggest impression on me.
It's not flawless but it's a very powerful film that's definitely worth a viewing for anyone whose into indie films or into "human" stories.
DVD Review: Suprise
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was really good. Can't believe a movie this good from a cast of children. The plot, the acting, everything. I recommend.DVD Review: real kids not your Disney or Nichelodeon cutesy fakes
Summary: 5 Stars
A true baseball fanatic will go to a hundred baseball games hoping to be at that one well-played game in which your team wins the game on a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Nothing in sports can match the euphoria of that moment and it stays with you for weeks, months and sometimes years after all the other games are long forgotten. This movie is just like that. It is a rare treasure of great acting by all the performers, (not your cutsey Disney or Nickelodeon kids), of unexpected plot changes, of great story telling, and most noteably, scenes that somehow stay with you long after the movie ends. Somehow, I really ended up caring for all the characters: the kids, the parents, the construction worker, and even the so-called bad kid; and hoping that their lives will get better in the future. That is a rare film indeed that you can see the weaknesses and the strengths of all the characters and you end up liking all of them and hoping every thing turns out ok for all of them. Watch the film and see if you don't think about the characters when you are in a quiet setting or trying to fall asleep. It took me awhile to fall asleep after watching the film.
Description of 12 and Holding
In the suburbs of America three close knit 12-year-olds -- introverted Jacob (Conor Donovan) precocious Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) and vulnerable Leonard (Jesse Camacho) -- start down the path of self-discovery and begin to distinguish their own voices from those of their parents. Sparked by the tragic death of Jacob's twin brother the trio band together as they grapple with feelings of revenge the burden of grief and the indelible experiences of growing up.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?DRAMA Rating:?R UPC:?796019796149 Manufacturer No:?79614The raw and fragile lives of three preteens unravel in 12 and Holding, a rich and compelling independent film. When an outgoing boy named Rudy is accidentally killed by two other boys, Rudy's twin brother Jacob (Conor Donovan) starts visiting the killers in prison to try to make sense of his life and of his parent's diverse reactions; his mother (Jayne Atkinson, 24) craves revenge while his father (Linus Roache, Priest) tries to move forward. Meanwhile, two of the twins' friends also spin off in diverse directions: Precocious Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) becomes fixated on a troubled construction worker (Jeremy Renner, North Country), while overweight Leonard (Jesse Camacho) obsesses on losing weight and forcing his obese family to lose weight as well. 12 and Holding moves fluidly between these three stories, gradually building an emotional intimacy with the characters that is unsettling, sad, and finally rewarding. The movie hits a few false notes, but the vast majority of the scenes feel vivid and honest, much like director Michael Cuesta's previous film, L.I.E.. Both the adults (including Annabella Sciorra, Jungle Fever) and the kids give excellent performances; Renner's wrenching turn stands out, but the entire cast makes this a memorable and complex film. --Bret Fetzer
General DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth SeasonRelease date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $43.99
Price in other shops:
Mad Men - Season OneMAD MEN - SEASON 1 (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2008-07-01; DVD
Best price: $27.00
Price in other shops:
The Unit - The Complete Third SeasonRelease date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $25.50
Price in other shops:
Smallville - The Complete Seventh SeasonRelease date: 2008-09-09; DVD
Best price: $34.97
Price in other shops:
House, M.D. - Season FourHOUSE: SEASON FOUR (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2008-08-19; DVD
Best price: $28.99
Price in other shops:
Dexter - The Complete Second SeasonPARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2008-08-19; DVD
Best price: $18.25
Price in other shops:
Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fourth SeasonBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-09-09; DVD
Best price: $31.00
Price in other shops:
John Adams (HBO Miniseries)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $30.96
Price in other shops:
The Dark Knight (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops:
The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Glue (Sub Dol)WOLFE VIDEO; Release date: 2007-11-13; DVD
Best price: $17.77
Price in other shops:
Do You Know the Muffin Man?Release date: 2007-02-27; DVD
Best price: $2.64
Price in other shops:
King of ThievesWOLFE VIDEO; Release date: 2006-05-02; DVD
Best price: $12.63
Price in other shops:
Put the Camera on MeRelease date: 2005-07-12; DVD
Best price: $12.23
Price in other shops:
You Are Not AloneTLA RELEASING; Release date: 2006-06-27; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Boys of Lost IslandRelease date: 2006-08-01; DVD
Best price: $1.39
Price in other shops:
MirageWOLFE VIDEO; Release date: 2006-07-18; DVD
Best price: $17.71
Price in other shops:
Son's PromiseRelease date: 2004-12-07; DVD
Best price: $2.25
Price in other shops:
The Blossoming of Maximo OliverosTLA RELEASING; Release date: 2007-08-28; DVD
Best price: $10.34
Price in other shops:
Wild Tigers I Have KnownRelease date: 2007-07-10; DVD
Best price: $16.55
Price in other shops: