# Twelve (2010 film)
**Twelve** is a 2010 American-French drama film directed by [Joel Schumacher](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-schumacher), adapted by Jordan Melamed from Nick McDonell's 2002 novel of the same title. It follows White Mike ([Chace Crawford](https://www.edgepedia.org/chace-crawford)), a high-school dropout who sells marijuana to wealthy Manhattan teenagers, and the violence that erupts around a new street drug called Twelve.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / screenwriter | Joel Schumacher; screenplay by Jordan Melamed, based on Nick McDonell's novel *Twelve* (New York, 2002)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) |
| Lead cast | Chace Crawford (White Mike), Emma Roberts (Molly), Rory Culkin (Chris), Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (Lionel), Kiefer Sutherland (narrator), Ellen Barkin[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) |
| Premiere and release | Sundance Film Festival premiere January 29, 2010; Los Angeles and New York openings August 6, 2010; distributed by Hannover House[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1407084/releaseinfo/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) |
| Production | France/United States co-production, produced by Gaumont, Radar Pictures, and Original Media; shot on a 23-day schedule[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/) • [4](https://filmmakermagazine.com/355-twelve-director-joel-schumacher/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 22/100 from 13 critics (62% negative); Rotten Tomatoes 3% from 29 reviews[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/) • [6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008) |
| Box office | $181.6K gross in the United States[6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008) |
| Rating | R, for strong drug content, alcohol abuse, language, sexual material, brief nudity, and some violence, all involving teens[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/twelve) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Set over spring break on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the story follows White Mike, a teenager who has dropped out of his senior year of high school and sells marijuana to his rich, spoiled peers. When his cousin is brutally murdered in an [East Harlem](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-harlem) housing project and his best friend is arrested for the crime, White Mike is drawn into the aftermath.[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/)
The title refers to a new drug on the market handled by Lionel (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), described by Time Out as an Ecstasy-cocaine hybrid. White Mike learns that his cousin was killed by Lionel over a batch of the drug, while his childhood friend Molly ([Emma Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-roberts)) tries to re-enter his life.[8](https://www.timeout.com/movies/twelve) The Sundance Q&A with the filmmakers describes the drug as a cocktail so dangerous that White Mike refuses to sell it.[9](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/qa-behind-the-scenes-with-twelves-cast-and-crew-3/)
## Production
Schumacher shot the film on the [Upper East Side](https://www.edgepedia.org/upper-east-side) in 2009 with a largely young cast; the Observer reported that casting director Jessica Kelly sought actors who would be believable high school students, including 23-year-old Chace Crawford and 20-year-old Zoe Kravitz.[10](https://observer.com/2009/05/lights-camera-act-younger-believable-teens-zoe-chace-liam-cast-in-itwelvei/amp/) In a January 2010 interview at Sundance, Schumacher said the budget allowed only a 23-day shoot for a complicated ensemble movie, and that he had considered canceling the film before deciding to proceed.[4](https://filmmakermagazine.com/355-twelve-director-joel-schumacher/)
The film premiered at the [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) on January 29, 2010, at the Eccles Theatre, where eleven cast members joined Schumacher and McDonell after the closing-night screening.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1407084/releaseinfo/) • [9](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/qa-behind-the-scenes-with-twelves-cast-and-crew-3/) Hannover House released it in Los Angeles and New York on August 6, 2010.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE)
Reported runtimes differ across sources: Cineuropa lists 93 minutes, AFI lists 95, Rotten Tomatoes lists 1h 34m, and Common Sense Media lists 117 minutes.[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) • [6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008) • [7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/twelve) The credited composer also differs by source: AFI credits [Harry Gregson-Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-gregson-williams), while Cineuropa credits Nathan Larson.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) • [2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/)
## Reception
The film was poorly received by critics. Its Metacritic Metascore of 22, based on 13 reviews, falls in the site's "Generally Unfavorable" band, with 8 of 13 reviews negative, 4 mixed, and 1 positive; the user score was 5.4 from 29 ratings.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 3% Tomatometer from 29 reviews, with an average rated review score of 3.70/10, against a 32% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 10,000 ratings.[6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008)
**Recurring criticisms.** Reviewers repeatedly singled out the heavy voice-over narration delivered by [Kiefer Sutherland](https://www.edgepedia.org/kiefer-sutherland), which reads extensive passages of prose throughout the film. Movieline wrote that the film is "over-narrated" and seems unable to take itself seriously; Slant Magazine said the narration runs through the entire movie in an attempt to tie the plot strands together; and a Blu-ray review argued that screenwriter Jordan Melamed "tells" rather than shows, making the teens seem one-dimensional.[11](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/critic-reviews/) • [12](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/twelve-4931/) • [13](https://reviews.filmintuition.com/2011/01/blu-ray-review-twelve-2010.html) Critics also faulted the large ensemble: Common Sense Media found it hard to keep track of the many characters and their personal dramas, and Slant counted at least half a dozen too many characters.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/twelve) • [12](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/twelve-4931/)
Not all reviews were negative. [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s Kirk Honeycutt called the film "sleek, giddy fun," the sole positive review counted by Metacritic.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/) Time Out criticized the film's moralizing but praised [Rory Culkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/rory-culkin)'s performance as the film's few genuine moments and [Ellen Barkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellen-barkin)'s cameo as an absentee mother.[8](https://www.timeout.com/movies/twelve) Screen International's Tim Grierson found the film sleazily entertaining but judged that it mistakes sensationalism for insight.[14](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/twelve/5010075.article)
The film grossed $181.6K in the United States.[6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008)
## Adaptation from the novel
The film is based on Nick McDonell's novel *Twelve*, published in New York in 2002 and written when McDonell was 17.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE) • [10](https://observer.com/2009/05/lights-camera-act-younger-believable-teens-zoe-chace-liam-cast-in-itwelvei/amp/) Reviewers generally judged the book the stronger work: Common Sense Media noted that the novel "fares much better," and a CinemaBlend review called the film "quite the opposite of the book, a dull and thoughtless ride with a sad excuse for a climax."[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/twelve) • [6](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008) A German-language review preserved on Metacritic observed that the film softens the novel's ending: the character Claude does not buy a submachine gun, and the final scene is less brutal and, because of the music, less dramatic than in the book.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/)
## References
1. [Twelve (2010), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66672-TWELVE)
2. [Twelve, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/133697/)
3. [Twelve - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1407084/releaseinfo/)
4. ["TWELVE" | director, Joel Schumacher, Filmmaker Magazine](https://filmmakermagazine.com/355-twelve-director-joel-schumacher/)
5. [Twelve Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/)
6. [Twelve, Rotten Tomatoes](https://wwe.rfhthjmb.dns-dynamic.net/m/twelve-2008)
7. [Twelve - Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/twelve)
8. [Twelve | Film review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/twelve)
9. [Q&A: Behind the Scenes with Twelve's Cast and Crew, Sundance Institute](https://www.sundance.org/blogs/qa-behind-the-scenes-with-twelves-cast-and-crew-3/)
10. [Lights! Camera! Act Younger!, The New York Observer](https://observer.com/2009/05/lights-camera-act-younger-believable-teens-zoe-chace-liam-cast-in-itwelvei/amp/)
11. [Twelve critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve/critic-reviews/)
12. [Review: Twelve, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/twelve-4931/)
13. [Blu-ray Review: Twelve (2010), Film Intuition](https://reviews.filmintuition.com/2011/01/blu-ray-review-twelve-2010.html)
14. [Twelve | Reviews, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/twelve/5010075.article)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)*
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