The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Genres

Comedy | Drama

Director

Kelly Fremon Craig

Country

USA

Cast

Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Hayden Szeto, Eric Keenleyside, Laine MacNeil, Katie Stuart, Alexander Calvert, Meredith Monroe

Storyline

Life is not easy for Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) and it gets even more unbearable when her all-star older brother (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson), leaving her even more alone.

Opinion

Everyone has been saying so many nice things about it, the hype was up to the root for "The Edge of Seventeen". I was still kinda afraid it was going to be just another coming-of-age, but it actually lived up to the hype. It indeed was a funny and fresh teen dramedy.

The film has a very simple, basic and very John Hughes's style plot with some predictable turns and several clichés of the genre but it is so beautifully told, it still manages to keep you engaged through the end. 

The greatest thing about having a basic plot is that it allows the film to be a good character study. And, much to my surprise, there is some good character development here - I was expecting more to be done with the character of Krista, though. Anyway, the characters feel like real people and because of that it's very easy to see the perspective of each of them, and equally easy is to relate to the problems Nadine, the main character, faces.

"The Edge of Seventeen" isn't only addressed to teens, but to all young people in general, as it deals, more than anything, with the sense of loneliness that haunts many young people.

However, what really makes this film stand out from its genre is the cast. Hailee Steinfeld is excellent as Nadine, the teenage girl who doesn't fit in and basically carries the film, and her performance alone is worth the watch. She is provided with a solid support from the other actors among which Woody Harrelson stands out as Mr Bruner, the teacher that ends up being Nadine's friend. I loved their relationship and how it is neither too dramatic nor too awkward.