Review of 12 and Holding (2006) by Melvin W — 07 Jul 2012

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. .