Twelve and Holding (12 and Holding) (2005)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  Great Indie drama. Very heartfelt, feel good kind of movie.

• familiar s

  
  Quiet different and unique, at least compared to most of what I've seen in the past 5 years. If only the ending had been better than what it is, I might have given it 4.5 or even 5/5 as well. Having said that, I still find it highly commendable.

• Lady D

  
  ?Stand by me for the next generation? is how this film has been described and I would say that that is a pretty accurate statement. Quite an insight into the minds of these children who are of an age that is rarely interpreted in film and it kind of invades their view on their own… More
  ?Stand by me for the next generation? is how this film has been described and I would say that that is a pretty accurate statement. Quite an insight into the minds of these children who are of an age that is rarely interpreted in film and it kind of invades their view on their own lives and the role they play in their families. A tragic beginning sets a number of events into motion, it?s an easy watching film, with some strong subject matters for the children to deal with.

• Bannan i

  
  This movie really surprised me, I'm not sure whether it was the way the younger kids interacted with each other...or the language which they used so casually was what completely intrigued me. It seemed to be a darker version of what being a twelve-year-old in modern day society… More
  This movie really surprised me, I'm not sure whether it was the way the younger kids interacted with each other...or the language which they used so casually was what completely intrigued me. It seemed to be a darker version of what being a twelve-year-old in modern day society entails. It starts off with two mischievous brothers being chased by bullies, one is up the ladder to their treehouse and then the other [submissive, shy and quieter] one eventually follows. Rudy [the impulsive one] ends up dumping a pail of urine onto the two which results in a series of wretching...followed by many death threats. The two brothers are quite different, one is outgoing, completely social seems to have the entire world at his fingertips. Whereas Jacob, the introverted one wears a hockey mask [like Jason Voorhees because he's badass] to cover up the large birthmark on his face. Their father keeps getting requests to sell the land, but refuses seeing that his kids play there and feels there is no price for something like that. Finally, a number comes up that catches his interest...and when Rudy relays this information unto their friends Malee and Leonard he has an idea to save the treehouse...sit in. Malee decides not to indulge her best friend's wishes, yet Leonard is pulled in instantly - peer pressure? Rudy sneaks off in the middle of the night, while Jacob quietly watches from the top bunk. His brother insults him as he finally leaves and explains that it's his fault that the two bullies are always following them around. You need to stick up for yourself, stop being such a pussy! Regardless of his brother's tauntings, Jacob stays...and Rudy leaves. Rudy and Leonard camp out in the treehouse, whilst sleeping soundly they are oblivious to the fact that Jeff and Kenny are throwing flaming cocktails at the structure. Jeff misses, but Kenny doesn't...and only when they hear screaming does Jeff take off...but Kenny stays and sees as Leonard falls from the ladder. He goes towards him, realizes they messed up and runs away. Leonard earns a second chance, and with that...he tries to fix things to make his family healthy...and goes to extreme measures to do just that. As Rudy is not so lucky, his death takes a toll on the entire community...especially all his friends and brother. Jacob seethes with rage, quietly...and questions why his parents are so quick to move on. He doesn't really get over or tries to, his brother's death for that matter. Meanwhile, Malee is the daughter of a psychiatrist who doesn't seem to have the best of relationships with her mother. She meets one of her mother's patients and begins to develop very strong feelings toward him - that is perhaps how Rudy's death had effected her? This is the story of how the remaining kids learn to deal with tragedy...and the terrible process of growing up. This is when they learn to be unlike their parents, and being placed in different situations...they grow into the people they might one day become. It's a very interesting head on collision of parenthood and being a pre-teen combination. It's humorous at times, but it's quite relatable as well...especially when the children try to find themselves while their parents remain being lost.

• Arash X

  
  Not as great as Stand By Me or Mean Creek but still a good movie with a few unsettling scenes

• Dean M

  
  Very interesting story of three 12-year-olds trio band together as they grapple with feelings of revenge, the burden of grief, and the indelible experiences of growing up after the tragic death of their friends (one is his twin brother).

• Michael S

  
  A great coming-of-age film that sadly couldn't find an audience or proper distribution.

• Leigh R

  
  Saddening....

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Twelve and Holding", Rudy and Jacob(Conor Donovan), twin 12-year olds playing in their treehouse, are tainted by bullies from below and unleash their stockpile of urine on them. Since the treehouse is about to be torn down, Rudy goes out to spend… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Twelve and Holding", Rudy and Jacob(Conor Donovan), twin 12-year olds playing in their treehouse, are tainted by bullies from below and unleash their stockpile of urine on them. Since the treehouse is about to be torn down, Rudy goes out to spend one last night inside but Jacob declines. Joining Rudy is his overweight friend, Leonard(Jesse Camacho), but the bullies return in the middle of the night and not realizing anybody is inside, use Molotov cocktails to burn it down. Rudy is killed but Leonard survives while losing his sense of taste and appetite, too. Meanwhile, their friend, Malee(Zoe Weizenbaum), has her first period and promptly develops a crush on a construction worker, Gus(Jeremy Renner), who she meets in the waiting room of her mother(Annabella Sciorra), a psychologist.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Twelve and Holding" is about the transition from childhood to adulthood and the changes both physical and emotional that children undergo when they are twelve. For example, Jacob is dealing with his first tragedy. But it is not really believable, especially Leonard's storyline(what family eats like that?) The acting is better and much more professional from the adults which knocks the movie out of balance because it is supposed to be about the children.[/font]

• Daniel P

  
  A tragic death seems to kick start three 12 year-old friends - Jacob, Malee and Leonard - into the beginning of adolescence. Whilst Jacob tries to come to terms with his loss, Malee struggles with her first crush and the onset of puberty, and Leonard becomes more self-aware and… More
  A tragic death seems to kick start three 12 year-old friends - Jacob, Malee and Leonard - into the beginning of adolescence. Whilst Jacob tries to come to terms with his loss, Malee struggles with her first crush and the onset of puberty, and Leonard becomes more self-aware and sensitive to those around him. Through all this, the parents in their lives are either absent, unresponsive or too lost in their own grief to really notice the changes. <p>The acting is excellent - the three child stars give assured performances that don't come off as forced but feel natural and honest. But to me the standout performance was from Jeremy Renner (who here looks uncannily like Ben McKenzie) as the emotionally damaged construction worker that Malee has a crush on. <p>Michael Cuesta, following the amazing L.I.E., has made another brilliant and undervalued film and the script by Anthony S. Cipriano is very strong.

• FanGirl B

  
  I'm generally not found of films with kids at the center of them, but 12 and Holding is really good. It tackles some really big issues without ever coming off preachy or overbearing. The young actors to a great job (as do the adults). I aspecially liked the storyline around… More
  I'm generally not found of films with kids at the center of them, but 12 and Holding is really good. It tackles some really big issues without ever coming off preachy or overbearing. The young actors to a great job (as do the adults). I aspecially liked the storyline around Jeremy Renner's character and the young girl who falls so very hard for him.

Read all 11 featured audience ratings