In 2008, “13” premiered on Broadway with the entire cast being made up of tweens and teens. Even though it closed after only two months, it captured the hearts of many fans. Fourteen years later, this musical has hit the big screen. Audiences across the world can now see “13,” a tale of what it is like to be in middle school. Evan Goldman is a 12 year old who has to uproot his life and move to a brand new town where he doesn’t know anyone. On top of that, his Bar Mitzvah is coming up and he needs some friends to invite. Once he steps foot in his new school, he is in for a world of excitement. This whole story is told through song and dance numbers that can get stuck in anyone’s head. There were not many serious stakes in this film, but that is not necessarily a problem. It is a simple movie to watch that will keep you focused with all of the fast paced songs. It is a cute story with relatable characters. It was released on Netflix on Aug. 12, and it will be an entertaining way for you to spend an afternoon.

Evan Goldman (Eli Golden) has lived in New York City his whole life. It is the only home he knows. However, after his father (Peter Hermann) has an affair, Evan’s mother (Debra Messing ’90) moves the two of them to Indiana where her mother (Rhea Perlman) lives. This happens as he is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah with his rabbi (Josh Peck). This city boy is in for a huge culture shock, especially as there does not seem to be another Jewish child in the whole town. While he is not happy about his new home, he is on a mission to make some friends so that he can have an awesome Bar Mitzvah. The first friend that he makes is his neighbor, Patrice (Gabriella Uhl), who is a bit of an outcast. Then he meets the cool kids of his school and he is ready to ditch Patrice. It turns out there is a lot of drama happening within the cool kids’ circle, involving relationships and first kisses. Evan is willing to help them out if it means they come to his Bar Mitzvah. However, things don’t go exactly as planned. Evan has to learn what a Bar Mitzvah is really about, as well as the true meaning of friendship.

I may have been a little old for the intended audience of this film, but I still had a fun time watching it. I haven’t been to middle school in a while and I would not like to go back, but I liked seeing these children goof around together and learn from their mistakes. The script did not feel like it was talking down to 12- and 13-year-olds. It treated them like real human beings. The film brings the audience back to that stage of life. Although, I’m sure most people’s middle school experiences did not involve randomly bursting into song. Full disclosure, I am a person who loves watching musicals. Therefore, I found most of the numbers entertaining. Sure, some of them had obvious rhymes and there were quite a few that weren’t that memorable, but I found myself humming some of them after watching the movie. Also, all of the big dance scenes had excellent choreography. However, if you are someone who is usually not a fan of musicals, this is not going to be the movie that will change your mind. It bursts into big songs at random moments, which is the usual complaint of musical haters. So hopefully going into this fim, you already like musicals.

For a film where the majority of the cast is made up of children, I thought that everyone did a great job. Everyone seemed around the age of their characters, which is always nice to say. Obviously, the stand out was the lead actor, Golden. He was in most of the scenes in the film and he was fantastic in each of them. He was able to be funny in scenes where he was trying to impress people, as well as serious when he talks about the struggles of moving and his parents’ divorce. On top of that, he has a wonderful singing voice that can carry any song and dance skills that make him worthy of being front and center. Golden may be young, but I can see he has a bright future ahead of him. I also felt that Uhl who played Evan’s neighbor Patrice also did a nice job. She had a lot of solos which she was able to nail each time. Uhl brought this character to life and she made you embrace Patrice’s quirks and by the end of the film, you would want to be her friend. All of Evan’s classmates came across as real triple threats. They were all great acting as small town middle schoolers, they could sing in perfect harmony and they all had killer dance moves. There was no small part, everyone stole the show. In terms of adults, I felt that Messing was terrific as Evan’s mother, Jessica. Her character was going through a big life change as well and she is rethinking her whole life and her marriage. She is thinking about all she could have done in life, but she is still always there for Evan. Messing was able to show this character’s complexity and why anyone would be lucky to have Jessica as a mother. There was not a bad performance in the whole cast and that is what helped make this film more than just another wacky musical.

I did not go into this film expecting high art. I knew it was going to be silly and light, and it most likely won’t be receiving any Oscars. However, every now and then we could all use a film that is not too serious and full of fun. There were not really any twists and turns with this script and I could tell how most storylines were going to end. At the end of the day, this is a story about the struggles of being a tween. I am okay with a simple plot. It was an easy film to watch and I could see myself rewatching it. It was certainly entertaining and I had a great time. This is a film for anyone who likes musicals, wants to watch a story about life in middle school and wants some Jewish representation on their screens. If you fit any of those qualifications, open up Netflix and watch “13: The Musical” today.