The Edge of Seventeen

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Hayden Szeto, Alexander Calvert, Eric Keenleyside
Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A high school student (Hailee Steinfeld) hates her life, which gets even worse when her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her brother (Blake Jenner).

Review:

Tim: The Edge of Seventeen might have seemed like your typical, run-of-the-mill coming-of-age high school dramedy. However, there's significantly more heart and intelligence in this movie than most in the genre. I found this film to be funny, believable, and memorable. It's a really, really good film. The movie takes a close look at Nadine, a challenging, frustrating, realistic high school student. The film shows her to be complex and occasionally unlikable. That was a brave departure from the norm. Yes, we care about our protagonist, but she's often wrong and makes stupid mistakes. It adds to the realism of the film.

The movie does a good job of centering all its drama around something that adults might view as minor (which teenagers are great at doing). The story revolves around the disintegrating friendship between Nadine and her best friend when her bestie starts dating her brother. It's a simple concept, but it propels the characters in many different directions. It forces Nadine to reexamine who she is and what she wants. The script does a strong job of showing the multiple ramifications of this one action. I liked how this film was structured and how it tells its story.

Hailee Steinfeld was mostly good in the lead role. She has a tendency to overact in this film, so too many moments felt forced and not believable enough. Still, she has an ability to connect with the audience and you find yourself rooting for her, even when she's somewhat unlikable. She did seem like how a real teenager would act. Haley Lu Richardson was very good as her best friend, and Blake Jenner continues to build a good career as her brother. The young talent in this film is upper echelon, which helps a lot. While those three are all really good, I have to bow down in awe at Woody Harrelson. He might seem like an odd addition to this film, but he steals every scene he's in. I honestly think every single line he utters is hilarious. From his looks and mannerisms to the delivery of his lines, Harrelson gives a remarkable performance. He launches this film to new heights by the sheer talent he brings to his incredible performance. I loved him in this film and he's my favorite part. Movies like this need something like that- something unexpected that makes all the difference. Harrelson was invaluable to this film.

We've seen many movies like this before, but The Edge of Seventeen separates itself from so many of those other films. A few too many cliches prevent this from being a great movie, but man, is this a funny, heartfelt, entertaining movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this film- even more than I expected. I'd highly recommend this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2