The Edge of Seventeen – Film Review by Pat V.

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner

Mean Girls meets Clueless in director, Kelly Fremon Craig’s first feature film, a coming-of-age movie set among American high school students, showing the trials and tribulations of teenager Nadine, trying to fit in and move on from the tragedy that has coloured her family life. An entertaining and well-acted film, it makes few demands and breaks no new ground, but passes an enjoyable couple of hours and is sure to appeal to the generation that grew up watching Glee.

In the highly-charged opening scene we see a determined and obviously upset Nadine (Kailee Steinfeld) push her way through the crowds of students in a school corridor and burst into the classroom where her jaded history teacher (Woody Harrelson) is having lunch and announce, dramatically, that she is going to kill herself. His response is certainly not what we might expect in the circumstances and this sets the tone for the movie.

From here the story moves back to Nadine’s childhood. A shy and difficult kid, she feels unloved by her mother and totally overshadowed by her successful older brother. Bullied and ignored by her classmates, life changes when she finally makes a friend; Krista.

Move on ten years and the two girls are best friends, discussing boys, clothes, and all things teenage, but still on the margins of the social life of their school. Their friendship, however, is put to the test when Krista starts dating Nadine’s handsome and popular brother, Darian (Blake Jenner). Nadine feels jealous and betrayed and more isolated than ever and takes some decisions she later comes to regret.

While serious issues and traumatic situations are touched upon in the course of the film, these are dealt with in a light vein and we are never in doubt that there will be a positive resolution and the obligatory happy Hollywood ending. The Edge of Seventeen holds no surprises but in spite of its predictability, there is an energy in the performances that holds our attention even if, at times, it is impossible not to be irritated by the self-indulgent tantrums of the main character.

However, when our patience with Nadine wears thin, Harrelson comes to the rescue. Though Steinfeld, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for her role as Mattie Ross in True Grit, gives an edgy and intelligent performance, it is Harrelson as the laconic and cynical Mr. Bruner who steals the show. His dry, detached delivery belie the caring individual who always manages to unravel the complicated knot that Nadine has woven for herself. It is worth going to this film for his performance alone.

Exploring the worries and insecurities of growing up, The Edge of Seventeen is sure, in time, to become a cult classic among teenage girls. With quotes like “There are two types of people in the world. The people who radiate confidence and naturally excel at life, and the people who hope all those people die in a big explosion.” Nadine says what a lot of us thought, but didn’t have the confidence to say at seventeen and though the film follows a well trodden path, it is witty and well-written and reminds us yet again that maybe our school-days are NOT the best days of our life!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB6Gecy6IP8