Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

R

Released May 24, 2002

1 hr. 43 min.

Drama

List

83%

114 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A man approaching middle age decides to change his life. A rising young attorney's plans are thrown into disarray as the result of a single act. A woman faces her husband's infidelity. A businessman seeks revenge on a cheerful coworker and an optimistic young cleaning woman awaits a miracle. Just the ebb and flow of daily New York life: chaotic, isolated, diffuse. Five contemporary stories are woven together into a single tale that examines the dramatic impact people have on one another.

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Critics Consensus

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is an intelligent and poignant look at lives intersecting.

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nefasto r

Happiness, luck, coincidence, fate.... definitely more then "one thing". Unless that thing is Life. Simple stories and honest characters: you don't need much to make a very interesting and lovable film. Watch it, and smile.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Felt dated, slow, and none of the protagonists were likeable. Entertaining nonetheless.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

13 Conversations is an interesting little film. It is neatly filmed with solid acting to the extent that I wonder why I don't find myself rating it higher. Thinking about it, I believe my disappointment is because I had expected that a movie about happiness would be more emotional and more optimistic. Instead, the overall vibe is bittersweet and a bit heavy on the bitter part.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I was on board for the beginning of this movie, looking forward to seeing how the pieces fit together. There was a little light tinge, mostly generated by the quirky score that lent the movie a sort of strange, supernatural feel. Unfortunately, the score is probably the best thing about this movie, that and the acting. You know what Ben can't help but like? Movies with weird connections between people, or narratives where one thing unexpectedly triggers another thing, or where the viewer later finds out the crazy reason why something earlier happened. You know what Ben doesn't like? When so much weight and unnecessary emphasis is put on these connections. As much as I'm fascinated by the idea of people's lives interweaving in strange and surprising ways, movies like this and Crash seem to put a lot of emphasis on it in hokey and uninteresting ways. After a while, it's not surprising anymore to see little connections. It has to be understated to be compelling, and this movie isn't understated. There are some moments of levity in the movie, especially in Alan Arkin's segments, but they're very few and far between, and somehow they never feel bright enough to lighten the heaviness of the other dark things going on. Around halfway through the movie, it occurred to me that there wasn't much I actively liked anymore besides the music, and in the second half, the movie just settles into this kind of slog that I didn't enjoy very much. Probably my least favorite thing about this movie is how the themes are completely lacking in subtlety. The characters say exactly what they think about life and happiness, and none of the opinions are that revolutionary. Life is essentially godless and random? People affect each other? Time works in weird ways? I don't know, maybe I'm missing some hidden brilliance in this film, but everything seemed so dour and blunt to me. That scene with John Turturro finding out his student committed suicide was laughably bad. I can't be the only one that found it funny, can I? Was I supposed to be genuinely affected when I watched John Turturro stare into the distance in horror at the fact that some student killed himself just because he didn't let him redo his essay? So over-sentimental. Same with the scene with Beatrice telling her friend about how everything is random and things just happen. This movie was the definition of telling instead of showing. It would've helped if any of this felt natural. Some of it does; Matthew McConaughey is a really good actor, and some of his segments were emotional, like when he cut open that spot on his head again in shame of what he did. But John Turturro, who's generally a good actor (from what I've heard), couldn't help but sound so scripted in almost every line he spoke. No character was ever hesitant about anything. It was just boring monologues, all in the abstract. Most of this movie, I was just rolling my eyes.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Frances H

Maybe this flick had some "profound" philosophical gems to say about life, but it was SOOOOOO depressing, I feel like watching the zombie horror movie I have on my DVR just to cheer myself up! Anything would be a mood improvement over this film. I normally like the intersecting-lives type movies, but this was just like one long Twilight Zone in terms of the terribly ironic. Even the music sounded similar, but used the same refrain over and over until I felt ready to scream. Don't watch this on a rainy, gloomy day, or you might end up doing what Matthew McConaughey's character did. (Warning--it wasn't good.) Why do critics always love this type of profoundly unhappy film?

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/14

Full Review

Audience Member

Occasionally I see a film that I believe is very important and should be digested by people I love and/or hope to be happy. This is an earnest attempt that succeeds and does give a view of the human condition and what must be endured with empathy and support. The acting is top rate.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Jill Sprecher

Director

Matthew McConaughey

Troy

John Turturro

Walker

Alan Arkin

Gene

Clea Duvall

Beatrice

Amy Irving

Patricia

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David Stratton

Variety

This intelligent, engaging indie introduces very human characters, with seemingly unconnected lives, whose paths cross.

Mar 27, 2009

Full Review

Dave Calhoun

Time Out

It's entertaining, well-written, slice-of-life stuff, but I'd rather spend 90 minutes with one of these stories than flit between several in a manner that does little to illuminate any of them.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Jun 25, 2005

Full Review

Miles Fielder

The List

Sombre and stark, but shot through with witty observations and articulate dialogue, these conversations also benefit from a set of nicely modulated performances that breath life in to the occasionally forced dialogue.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 25, 2019

Full Review

John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

lends higher philosophical and spiritual tone ... without preaching

Rated: B+

Jul 8, 2011

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

An interesting and profound drama...

Apr 29, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

A man approaching middle age decides to change his life. A rising young attorney's plans are thrown into disarray as the result of a single act. A woman faces her husband's infidelity. A businessman seeks revenge on a cheerful coworker and an optimistic young cleaning woman awaits a miracle. Just the ebb and flow of daily New York life: chaotic, isolated, diffuse. Five contemporary stories are woven together into a single tale that examines the dramatic impact people have on one another.

Director: Jill Sprecher
Executive Producer: Michael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Doug Mankoff, Andrew Spaulding, Peter Wetherell, James C.E. Burke, Heidi Crane
Screenwriter: Jill Sprecher, Karen Sprecher
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Stonelock Pictures, Double A Films, First Look Media, Single Cell Pictures, Entitled Entrtainment
Rating: R (Violence|Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 24, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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