Twelve

I for one thought that the narration by Kiefer Sutherland was one of the better things about this movie. The narration throughout the movie is what makes it different from other films. It also explains some of the characters because there isn't enough time to show everything on camera.

I liked this movie. It's about college drop out drug dealer, White Mike, whose mainly selling weed to his rich high school friends in New York City. His supplier, played by 50 cent, commits a couple of murders, that doesn't play a major role except that most of the movies' characters know one of the guys. The other major plot is this kid, Chris, likes to throw parties at his house. He throws a party for the hottest girl in school, and things end badly due to his crazy brother. I just thought the movie was interesting as it told the tale of how rich white kids waste their money and have parents whom are never around.

FINAL VERDICT: I liked the narration and how it shows all the characters without getting confusing. I recommend it.

I can't agree with the number of bad reviews this movie is getting. The movie is well well acted. Though it deals with issues within the drug scene and social strife of coming of age movies, this movie is not a Hollywood Happy Meal. Its probably not meant to be seen accompanied. The movie speaks to you and for once the author and director has a dialog with the viewer. Regardless of the storyline, if one is or isn't involved with drugs or social pressure, it talks about how ourselves relish in our sufferance forgetting that a better life is our decision. It may be slow at times and maybe it should have been released without so much storytelling, but I like when directors use new ideas. The movie is very good for what it wanted to portray and I am very happy to see how Emma Roberts has grown as an actress.

I finally got to see this movie and I have to say, I really did like it. I know that this movie has been getting terrible reviews and slammed by just about everybody, but I would like to back this movie up a bit.

1 - When I first heard about this movie and saw the trailer, my first thought was this reminds me of "The Rules of Attraction" and "Less Than Zero," two of my favorite books and movies. So I immediately went searching for the book "Twelve." Found it, read it, and LOVED it. I guess you sort of have to be into these types of stories to enjoy them. But needless to say, the book reminded of "Rules" and "Less Than Zero," which is why I liked it so much, except "Twelve" takes place in the present, which I can relate to, and not the 80's, even though I still love them.

Realizing this right now as I type this, don't watch this movie or read the book if you are not into these types of movies/books. If you are, then I highly recommend it.

2 - After having been a fan of the book, I was very anxious to see the movie. I finally saw it, bought it without seeing and wasn't sure what to expect, and I can say it was better than I expected. I was beginning to let the negative reviews suck me in, but I was pretty pleased with it. I think the main reason why I liked it is because it stayed very true to the book. Obviously the book is better, but the movie was pleasing for me.

3 - I was very happy with the casting in this movie. I think Chase Crawford did a great job. Very believable as White Mike. I hadn't really seen him do anything because I don't watch "Gossip Girl," so it was nice seeing what he can do. I really like Emma Roberts so I enjoyed her just as much as Molly as I always do in any role she portrays. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, small part, but very strong performance. I only knew him as a musician, never seen him act, and was impressed with him. He too, was very believable. Most of the actors in this movie were very believable. The two individuals who stood out most to me were Billy Magnussen and Emily Meade. I have never seen them in anything else before, and I thought they were absolutely great. I hope to see more of them. I also loved Ellen Barkin's appearance in this movie. She was great as always.

4 - A lot of other comments or reviews, slammed the narration of Kiefer Sutherland in this movie. I will admit in the beginning it seemed to be too much, or some parts didn't really need to be narrated, but the majority of the narration, I thought was needed. I did not think it was out of place. It reminded me of the book once again. The narration was informative, descriptive, and at sometimes comical, or comic relief in my opinion.

5 - I thought the style was done very well in this movie. The music, the party scenes, the atmosphere, the different groups and cliques, the suspense and fear, the sadness, the chemistry between the two leads, etc. This movie pulled it off. I was worried before I saw the movie and with all of the bad reviews that it would have been too much or not enough, but NO, I was pleased.

This is my overall opinion on the movie. The only thing I did not like about this movie, and I wont give any spoilers to anyone, I felt like the end was rushed. It seemed like the "Event" at the very end, came and went too fast. Still an impressive performance delivered by the actors, which helped the scene out for me, but I felt like not enough time was spent at the end. I guess to understand what I mean, you would have to read the book then see the movie. My recommendation.

But I will say that although the very end had a slight minor change, again no spoilers, I was happy with the ending. That was a major concern for me, but I thought the very end was simple and sweet. Which worked.

I honestly really hope this review helps people who are interested in this movie. I'm going recommend it to people who are into these types of stories/books/movies. I think what helped me the most was that I knew what was going on, which might be a spoiler for some people or people just might not like that, but just know that if you watch this movie, its a lot like the book. And don't let the negative reviews stop you from seeing it. Check it out and see for yourself.

For all the people saying this should be like an 80s kid drug film, or the narrator was annoying. First of all, the drug scene has dramatically changed since the 80s. As far as the narrator, think of the film like a book, there is often an omnipotent narrator that knows more than the characters and tells the story. That's the way the film is done, and it actually works here.

An omnipotent narrator fills in the gaps, and that is exactly what he does in Twelve.

I'm more irritated that people think that the drug scene, in any city, is exactly the same as it was 30 years ago is crazy. Drugs change. Prices change. Kids change. Everything changes. Our entire American culture has changed. So, of course, drugs have changed.

After making his abominations of Batman with 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman & Robin,' Joel Schumacher lost a lot of respect from basically all of the film-going community. However, to me, he has had enough solid flicks like 'The Lost Boys,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'St. Elmo's Fire,' and '8MM' to at least have some credibility.

Unfortunately, his newest film 'Twelve' is one more addition to the negative side of his filmography. It tells the story of White Mike (Chace Crawford), a young wealthy drug dealer in New York City whose already complicated life becomes even more problematic when his cousin is murdered and the prime suspect becomes Hunter (Philip Ettinger), White Mike's best friend.

Perhaps the most obvious issue about 'Twelve' that negatively affects the rest of the film comes from Kiefer Sutherland's constant narration throughout. It's a common mantra among screenwriters to "show, not tell," but writer Jordan Melamed decided to throw off those typical conventions and tell every single detail of every single moment through the voice-over narration. This contributed to the other problems of the film, including the stilted dialogue & awkward acting. It's hard to deliver lines well when the actor is being forced to randomly pause mid-sentence to let Kiefer Sutherland explain what is going on in the scene.

Ignoring the issues caused by the overdone narration, it's hard to find much to like about the film. Joel Schumacher's direction is interesting enough, and the cast is nice to look at, but that's about it. The story is nothing special and is easily overshadowed by other "drug-induced youth" films like 'Less Than Zero' and 'Holy Rollers.' For this reason, 'Twelve' will never be more than just a mediocre attempt at something that's been done much better many times before. I'd like to see Schumacher return to what he was able to do in the late '80s with 'St. Elmo's Fire' and 'The Lost Boys,' but it doesn't look that will be happening anytime soon.

Final Verdict: 5/10.

-AP3-