Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

2001

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

Critics Consensus

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

83%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 115

71%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 8,334

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Movie Info

A group of people live their separate lives, unaware of the subtle interconnections that bring them together. There's a cocky attorney who becomes a fugitive following a hit-and-run incident, a math professor whose wife is the victim of a mugging, an insurance company manager troubled by his ex-wife and delinquent son, and a young woman convalescing after a car accident.
  • Rating:
    R (for language and brief drug use)
  • Genre:
    Art House & International, Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Jill Sprecher
  • Written By:
    Karen Sprecher, Jill Sprecher
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $3,004,491
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Sony Pictures Classics

Cast

Matthew McConaughey
as Troy
David Connelly
as Owen
John Turturro
as Walker
Clea DuVall
as Beatrice
Amy Irving
as Patricia
Joseph Siravo
as Bureau Chief
David Connolly
as Owen
Alan Arkin
as Gene
A.D. Miles
as Co-Worker
Sig Libowitz
as Assistant Attorney
James Yaegashi
as Legal Assistant
Dion Graham
as Defense Attorney
Fernando Lopez
as Defendant
Brian Smiar
as Judge
Paul Austin
as Bartender
Allie Woods Jr.
as Cab Driver
Barbara Sukowa
as Helen
Rob McElhenney
as Aspiring Medical Student
Avery Glymph
as Intelligent Student
Elizabeth Reaser
as Young Woman in Class
Deirdre Lovejoy
as Student Teacher
Barbara Andres
as Neighbor
William Severs
as Doctor
Joel Garland
as Mover
Tia Texada
as Dorrie
Peggy Gormly
as Bea's Mother
Malcolm Gets
as The Architect
Miles Thompson
as Neighborhood Boy
Robert Carricart
as Pastor
Frankie Faison
as Dick Lacey
William Wise
as Wade Bowman
Shawn Elliott
as Mickey Wheeler
Alex Burns
as Ronnie
James Murtaugh
as Lew Kincannon
Richard E. Council
as Del Strickland
Walt MacPherson
as Donald
Leo V. Finnie III
as Pete
Daryl Edwards
as Glenn
Charlie Schroeder
as Young Finance Manager
Robert Colston
as Sales Manager
Gammy Singer
as Gene's Secretary
Melissa Maxwell
as Del's Receptionist
Eliza Pryor Nagel
as Ronnie's Roommate
Jeff Robins
as Freeloader
Victor Truro
as Coffee Shop Counterman
Paul Klementowicz
as Public Defender
Phyllis Bash
as Judge
Peter McCabe
as Court Clerk
Christian Pabon
as Teenager on Subway
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Critic Reviews for Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

All Critics (115) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (96) | Rotten (19)

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

    March 27, 2009

    David Stratton

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

    Dave Calhoun

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • Initially writer/director Jill Sprecher seems to revel in fashionable cynicism, but her ability to look at the lighter side and her discreet faith in human nature eventually win out.

    June 14, 2005 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Stella Papamichael

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Resonates with intelligence and a poignancy.

    July 20, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • Without getting grand or preachy, the Sprechers use an unconventional approach to coax us into asking ourselves fundamental questions.

    July 11, 2002 | Rating: 4/5

    Jay Boyar

    Orlando Sentinel
    Top Critic

  • Often messy and frustrating, but very pleasing at its best moments, it's very much like life itself.

    July 10, 2002 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Peter Howell

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (115)

Audience Reviews for Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

  • Aug 30, 2017
    Felt dated, slow, and none of the protagonists were likeable. Entertaining nonetheless.
    Ed K Super Reviewer
  • Sep 26, 2015
    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.
    Robert B Super Reviewer
  • Jun 26, 2011
    Several intertwining stories in this elegant confusion of an ensemble piece of a small film about THE MEANING OF LIFE (only w/o the capital letters). Excellent performances abound.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Apr 13, 2011
    One of those intertwining ensemble stories that almost makes it but not quite. The titular "one thing" isn't always clear. It could be several things: fortune, happiness, love, guilt, faith, trust, fate, coincidence, et cetera. All the individual stories are really quite beautiful though, with moments of deep elation and moments of inexplicable grief.
    Alice S Super Reviewer
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