Critic Reviews
Twelve and Holding (2005) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (77) reviews
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Murphy's Movie Reviews (Ted Murphy)
Cuesta proves a master with his young cast, coaxing memorable performances from Weizenbaum, Camacho and Donovan ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Murphy's Movie Reviews (Ted Murphy)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
One of the films of the year. Unmissable. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)
Directors like Todd Solondz and Larry Clark are fond of tormenting and exploiting their young characters, but Cuesta seems to sympathize with his. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Odd and dreamlike in the way a child's perception of the world might be, it's hardly realistic in the literal sense but remarkably real from the emotional perspective. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
E! Online (--)
Think you'd wanna be twelve again? Twelve makes you think again. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at E! Online (--)
Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
A riveting low-budget look at how a group of 12-year-olds react to the accidental killing of one of their friends. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Though occasionally clumsy, it manages to accurately re-create the especial lonely pain of nascent pubescence, the shock of change and the feeling that no one has ever lived through the sort of emotional weather you're required to endure. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Oregonian (Mike Russell)
It's a lot of drama to pack into just more than 90 minutes, and Cuesta's low-key visual approach plays nicely against the film's roiling passions and over-the-top (some might say too over-the-top) final act. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Oregonian (Mike Russell)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Hap Erstein)
The film careens from crisis to crisis. Yet each time it threatens to spin out of control, [director Michael] Cuesta demonstrates a firm hand that keeps us leaning in with interest. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Hap Erstein)
Reel.com (Gary Goldstein)
A follow-up in spirit, if not in actual content, to his excellent debut feature, L.I.E., Michael Cuesta's 12 and Holding is another distinct and memorable look at suburban adolescence from the gifted filmmaker. This time out, three 12-year-old friends ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Reel.com (Gary Goldstein)
San Francisco Chronicle (Ruthe Stein)
About.com (Marcy Dermansky)
The title of Michael Cuestra's second film (following his acclaimed debut L.I.E.) is one hundred percent literal: the three main characters of 12 and Holding are twelve years old. They are troubled, manipulative, industrious, acutely sensitive, and more ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at About.com (Marcy Dermansky)
ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Further solidifies Michael Cuesta's talents for telling realistic stories about adolescence. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
An exceptionally strong character study of the lives of pre-teens. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
Smart, compassionate filmmaking that captures both the intricacies and the tragedy of contemporary adolescence. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Crust)
filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)
encapsulates everything one could hope for from a sophomore effort ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)
BBC (Stella Papamichael)
It doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs, but [director Michael] Cuesta finds wry humour in tragic situations while at the same time thickening the air with quiet foreboding. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at BBC (Stella Papamichael)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
A gripping drama examining the pains and frustrations--and also the hidden strengths--of youth. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Michael Cuesta's film 12 and Holding flashes a laser beam on ... the moment between childhood and adolescence when unguarded emotions and fantasies still rule, but adult experience beckons. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
The kids are very effective. Some laughs seem right, others catch in your throat. There is honest feeling, not sneering. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Michele Kenner)
From the parents to the children, the cast is uniformly excellent. Weizenbaum and Renner deserve special mention for handling a potentially unsettling relationship with care. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Michele Kenner)
MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
While the film doesn't have the same emotional impact of his acclaimed debut, Cuesta is a steady, self-assured filmmaker who knows how to command an audience's attention. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
The stories coexist without intersecting, and the film would benefit from a stronger narrative spine, but bringing together three such gifted young actors in a single film is a minor miracle. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Phoebe Flowers)
An intriguing -- if not indelible -- portrait of the difficulty of being not just an adolescent, but the parent of one. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Phoebe Flowers)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
When it comes to depicting the inner lives of adolescents, writer-director Michael Cuesta might be the most fearless U.S. filmmaker working today. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Reel.com (Gary Goldstein)
12 and Holding is a deft reminder of that fleeting time between childhood and puberty when everything still seems possible, even if getting there may seem virtually impossible. It's a special film to watch, whatever your age. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Reel.com (Gary Goldstein)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
They are believable 12-year olds: intelligent (but not too intelligent) yet naïve, and trying with mixed success to navigate the path of adolescence. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Ed Blank)
Toronto Star (Susan Walker)
Cuesta entices extraordinary performances out of his young actors. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Toronto Star (Susan Walker)
Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
A few good laughs and superb acting keep the film bearable, even intriguing in places, but these are not fun stories being told. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
The children are operating without a safety net or a script typed with kid gloves, and that makes it all the more easy to fear for and sympathize with them, even as the plot takes outlandish twists. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
New York Post (Kyle Smith)
If the movie leaves you feeling more uneasy than, say, Rushmore, it's because it doesn't give you any whimsy to hang on to. But whimsy is a way of looking at childhood in the rearview mirror; 12 and Holding crashes into it head-on. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at New York Post (Kyle Smith)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Illuminating and unsettling. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
A sensitive and moving account of the wounds inflicted by birth, by parents and by accident, and the mistakes and small victories that help us move on. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
Newsday (John Anderson)
Loss is a big part of 12 and Holding. So is identity. But its scope is much larger, and its echoes far more resonant. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Newsday (John Anderson)
Seattle Times (John Hartl)
Tough and troubling drama. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Seattle Times (John Hartl)
Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Cuesta prizes curiosity and perception over conflict resolution. He likes the way kids take their cues from adults and the ways they revolt against them. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
The Village Voice (Dennis Lim)
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Entertain Your Brain! (Shawn McKenzie)
Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)
Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Most of the time ... we are watching pathology without benefit of insight. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Spirituality & Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat)
IndependentCritics.com (Richard Propes)
Exclaim! (Debbie Wolgelerenter)
Reeling Reviews (Laura Clifford)
Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
The young cast is terrific, giving the stories unearned weight. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Now Playing Magazine (Brent Simon)
A refracted glimpse of American suburbia through the eyes of three pre-teens grappling with grief, reprisal and loneliness, the film boasts some great adolescent performances but can't overcome a rigidly partitioned structure and tonal inconsistency. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Now Playing Magazine (Brent Simon)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Bill White)
Cuesta ... has a weak grasp on the behavior of contemporary youth. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Bill White)
Movieeveryday.com (Scooter Thompson)
"Michael Cuesta, director of L.I.E., has never shied away from shocking material that really forces us to look at the lives we make for our children. I think his works are important and ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Movieeveryday.com (Scooter Thompson)
efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)
A film that has a lot of good individual ingredients but no real idea of how to pull them all together into a satisfying whole. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)
Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)
Twelve isn’t always easy to watch. But it feels emotionally authentic -- not exploitive, not farfetchedly quirky. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)
TheMovieChicks.com (Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone)
On by a thread might be the rest of the title. You feel for the characters even when you just want to scream and ground them. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at TheMovieChicks.com (Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone)
Film Threat (Matthew Sorrento)
welve and Holding unfortunately breaks down by trying to wrap up its problems too neatly. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Film Threat (Matthew Sorrento)
Sympatico.ca (Angela Baldassarre)
Twelve and Holding is a tale of young friends who deal with death and family crises. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Sympatico.ca (Angela Baldassarre)
Empire Magazine (Sam Toy)
The kids help get the film past its messy, low-budget look, aided by a strong ensemble of familiar adult faces. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Empire Magazine (Sam Toy)
Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
ToxicUniverse.com (Chris Barsanti)
With his modestly impressive young actors and moody lens, Cuesta finds the normal in the extreme. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Chris Barsanti)
indieWire (Michael Koresky)
Chicago Tribune (Jessica Reaves)
Newark Star-Ledger (Lisa Rose)
Honest acting and balanced writing create a realistic snapshot of adolescent angst. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Lisa Rose)
Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)
Flawed but compassionate study of kids struggling with grown-up issues without much adult supervison. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)
Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
One of those American indie films that can be filed into the diagnostic category of Facile with Delusions of Profundity. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
The film is as oblivious as the adults. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Cipriano and...Cuesta ( L.I.E. ) show realism, tender regard, and the benefit of the doubt for their young characters, but little of the same to their childish parents. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
In sum, 12 and Holding is a movie with better parts than a whole. But where it's right, it's really right. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Cipriano and Cuesta push things too far, as the kids' behavior moves from merely obsessive to downright sociopathic. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Boulder Weekly (Thomas Delapa)
Even if childhood innocence seems to be going the way of the hula hoop, Cuesta is far too willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Boulder Weekly (Thomas Delapa)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
The young actors are strong enough to triumph over the weaknesses of the script. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Boxoffice Magazine (Susan Green)
Cuesta's overkill approach to black comedy, reminiscent of the hyperrealism Gregg Araki uses in Mysterious Skin , allows cheap laughs to subvert understanding and compassion for his troubled tweens. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Susan Green)
Slant Magazine (Keith Uhlich)
Based on the contrivance-heavy screenplay and Cuesta's Six Feet Under -tutelaged direction, you'd think the filmmakers just got off the boat from Eden and found themselves in the cities of the plain. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Slant Magazine (Keith Uhlich)
Onion AV Club (Noel Murray)
The surface slickness ultimately makes Twelve And Holding awful. ...read the complete Twelve and Holding movie review at Onion AV Club (Noel Murray)
User Reviews
by ! MR. KNOW IT ALL... on January 26, 2009
This is a wonderful ...
by zenovice on January 11, 2009
I saw this was airing on TMC last weekend. Didn't have time to watch it, then, but the brief description intrigued me enough to record it. After finally getting around to watching it, I'm so glad that I did. At first, I only recognized Annabella ...
by Bob Waskiewicz on December 22, 2008
I could not stop looking at this film today,and I never heard of it.The acting is Brilliant,and the ending is shocking. ...
by enoneal on September 20, 2008
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 ...
by buen chapin on August 07, 2008
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 ...
by M. Kline "Mike K.... on August 13, 2007
This movie was really good. Can't believe a movie this good from a cast of children. The plot, the acting, everything. I recommend. ...
by T. Santo "timbobs... on July 02, 2007
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 ...
by David M. Rossi on June 26, 2007
To say that 12 and Holding is a monumental cinematic acheivement would be saying the absolute least. Michael Cuesta, director of the equally brilliant and disturbing L.I.E. gives us another glimpse at young lives and deadly circumstances. After losing ...
by Virginia Lundin "... on June 10, 2007
This was such an unexpected movie, with a very interesting plot development that kept us on the edge of our seats throughout. The kids were fantastic, particularly the twins--and Jayne Atkinson was ...
by Melanie Votaw on February 10, 2007
This film blew me away. It's a very surprising and touching script - daring and true, I think, to what could easily happen to these characters as a result of their circumstances. I thought all three storylines were remarkable, and I'm surprised that ...
User Comments
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