Review of The Edge of Seventeen (2016) by Spangle — 26 Nov 2016

The Edge of Seventeen is nothing short of a brilliant work. Somehow the directorial debut of Kelly Fremon Craig, the film is polished, smart, witty, and a poignant look at the depressed/ostracized teenager of today. While now a trendy topic, The Edge of Seventeen still remains an important film due to its approach to growing up in the digital age. While an incredibly funny film, it still manages to pull back the curtain on depression and shows what low self-esteem can do to a person who is already on the outskirts of the social world. In a powerhouse performance, Hailee Steinfeld grabs the film by the reins and steers it home, furthering cementing her status as a rising star in the acting world. At her side, Woody Harrelson turns in his best performance in years.

The Edge of Seventeen focuses on 17-year old Nadine (Steinfeld). Different from the other kids, she has always had trouble making friends. However, her best friend - Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) - has been with her since second grade. Since that time, Nadine's father - her at-home best friend - died. Now, she is stuck with depression, a brother who is popular, and a mother who has never gotten on well with her. All of this is the formula for Nadine's breakdown when Krista begins to date Nadine's brother, Darian (Blake Jenner). Everything Nadine is not, she feels deeply hurt that her best friend has betrayed her and, in Nadine's eyes, grown past her.

A poignant film, The Edge of Seventeen has many cliches from the wise teacher to the meet-cute with a guy in Nadine's class, as well as her fumbling through a potential sexual encounter with her dream guy. That said, it still brings enough originality through Nadine. Incredibly well-written and fleshed out, Nadine's struggles are universal with some tremendous dialogue along the way that really highlights her inner-feelings. Particularly, at the end when she describes how she likes to imagine she is the only one with problems to, potentially, feel unique. A moving scene, this moment really underscores what is Nadine's problem and why she struggles to fit in. Her own worst enemy, she projects negative intentions on others due to her own low self-esteem. She assumes people cannot like her or love her because of her own insecurities. A throwaway line, yet one of the best, comes from Krista. When Nadine is nearing getting over Krista dating Darian, Krista says, "I missed her." Though Nadine may not love herself, others do. Krista does. Darian does. Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), her mother, does. Hell, Mr. Bruner (Harrelson), her history teacher, does. If only she can stop hating herself, her eyes would be opened to how much she is loved. That said, it is easier said than done.

Insightful into the struggle of a teenage girl to find the ability to love herself, The Edge of Seventeen is often moving, largely due to its authenticity. Each character acts like a real human being and speaks as though they were one as well. The situations are universal, especially for those who were unpopular in high school. In this way, it manages to be incredibly impactful with Craig able to create a film that is truly poignant without being sentimental or schmaltzy. It hits home because it is real, not because it is manipulative.

While the drama element is tremendously written, so is the comedy. Largely coming from Woody Harrelson or Hayden Szeto (who plays Erwin Kim - a boy who likes Nadine). The dry humor and deadpan delivery of Harrelson's Mr. Bruner is a lot of this films charm. Every scene Harrelson is in, he steals it completely. Similarly, the love-struck and awkward Erwin is brought to life through tremendously awkward and nerdy delivery by Szeto. Every encounter between him and Nadine is imbued with the curiosity, awkwardness, and uncertainty of all potential teenage romances, which - again - makes it incredibly impactful. While witty and incredibly funny, The Edge of Seventeen strikes an excellent balance between the comedy and the drama that few films can ever dream of accomplishing. Jokes do not obstruct here. They add and come at terrific times with great delivery by all.

Poignant and funny, The Edge of Seventeen is a tremendous debut from Kelly Fremon Craig. Many have compared her to a modern day John Hughes and maybe this is true, but I need to see more before making the comparison. As it stands, this is a terrific debut with great direction, phenomenal acting, and writing that is smart, witty, and respectful of its characters, even when their struggles are somewhat self-created. A film that hits home for many, The Edge of Seventeen is a film that lives up to the significant amount of hype.