Review of The Edge of Seventeen (2016) by Nicholas E — 01 Jan 2017

The Edge of Seventeen is a heart warming coming-of-age movie that comes bundled with humorous assholery.

One can expect the typical struggles of the teenage experience such as self esteem issues, awkwardness, the gain and loss of friends, feelings of romance, the confusion of lust, and coming to realizations the hard way.

However, this is not just "another" coming-of-age story, as the cast's performance was executed fantastically; every character was natural, believable, and when deserving, likable.

Protagonist Nadine, played by Hailee Steinfeld, and Mr. Bruner, played by Woody Harrelson, brought the movie to life with their playfully antagonistic teacher-student relationship. Kyra Sedgwick as the (at least somewhat) toxic mother Mona, Haley Lu Richardson as Nadine's best friend Krista, Blake Jenner as Nadine's stud brother Darian, and Hayden Szeto as the charmingly awkward classmate Erwin, all contributed down-to-earth performances.

The actors combined with the script results in one genuinely feeling for the characters and hoping that they find themselves in better circumstances.

I was happy to see this movie take on, although not profoundly, the reality of why the teenage years are so hard for many of us: family dysfunction. A lack of empathy, a depressing sense of being invisible, and the stress of having to be perfect and take on inappropriate responsibilities certainly played a role in this movie.

While I was happy to see them there, I do wish these issues were illuminated slightly brighter with more thorough apologies and conversations that could have led to an epiphany of the responsibility one carries in romance, namely choosing a quality partner.

All in all The Edge of Seventeen offers many laughs, an authentic cast, and a story that just about everybody can relate to while leaving one with a smile.