Review of The Edge of Seventeen (2016) by Adam P — 23 Nov 2016

The Edge of Seventeen is a sharply written coming-of-age teen comedy with plenty of wit, charm and dramatic heft. The story centers on Nadine, a 17 year old coping with the loss of a parent whose life begins to unravel when her best friend starts dating her "golden boy" brother Darien.

Not since 2001's Ghost World have we seen anything like the character Nadine, played brilliantly by Hailee Steinfeld. Nadine is a seemingly self- assured protagonist equipped with all the wit and hubris of today's youth, but under the gruff exterior is a child desperately trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.

Nadine is hard pressed to find any comfort for her growing sense of disillusionment. In the end she must decide whether she will cope by nourishing her personal and familial relationships, or whether she will revert back to her cocoon of self banishment and societal fatalism.

What separates The Edge of Seventeen from other coming-of-age films such as Juno, The Way Way Back, and Dazed and Confused is that while those films have happily played into stereotypical archetypes this film artfully deconstructs them.

The high school jock relishing his popularity, the wise teacher offering up sage advice that helps the lead make sense of the world, the dorky love interest dutifully pinning after the lead girl. All these archetypes are stripped bare in ways only hinted at in films like Easy A and the Breakfast Club.

In addition to this, this film offers a life-line to today's over-caffeinated and socially inept youth. The remedy for that forlorn sense of isolation you feel is called human connection. Get off social media and have an actual conversation with someone.

Abandon the idea that you know everything, and allow reasonable self doubt to enter your mind. If you do this, you might just find the very illusive thing known as understanding.