The Edge of Seventeen

A few days ago I was lucky enough to be invited to my first advanced press screening to a film called The Edge of Seventeen, due out mid November. 

I'm not sure this is a film I would have sought out on my own come that time, so I'm glad that, instead of skipping it, I received this opportunity. Truth be told, it was a delightful coming of age film that is worthy of your time and money, even if it has a few flaws here and there. 

By this point in most of our lives, we all remember what it was like growing up in high school and the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Personally, my teenage years weren't all that difficult and I actually quite enjoyed them. I had great friends, a solid school, loving parents, and a couple wonderful girlfriends (not at the same time!). But I certainly knew of those students who had a much harder time than I did, ones who struggled to fit in socially, ones who didn't really know what they wanted out of life or their futures. Maybe you, a current reader, was one of them at one point? 

Suffice it to say, I think we can all pretty much agree that high school drama and popularity is one of the most pointless, fleeting things that occurs in our lifetime. Hindsight is certainly 20/20, but it's super apparent, in almost everyone that you meet, that no one cares about who you were or what you did in high school. So then why do we all focus on it so much during that time? Why are there so many films dedicated to this time? It's because these are the formative years of most of our lives. They are when we're often acting at our worst and we learn what's not acceptable and how to behave in the real world. 

Ahhh High School lunch in the movies...as if I could ever sit outside and lolligag!

Hilarious, hilarious scenes ^^

The Edge of Seventeen follows Nadine, (Steinfeld) during her junior year of high school and presents a mostly comedic look at a key turning point in her life. Her family is three years removed from the death of her dad, who seemed to be the rock in her family, and they're a bit of a mess without him. Without explaining the plot like a book report, I'll summarize that the film plays out like a series of small mistakes/embarrassments for Nadine -- most of which you'll recognize are by her own choice or doing. There are moments where she's actually quite an awful character, but that's half the point, and Steinfeld plays the character sweet enough to where you want to see her be redeemed before the film rolls to credits.  Truly, Steinfeld carries 80% of the film with grace, humor, and willingness to become the character; she was a great casting choice and her ability to perform a variety of emotions and awkward situations is commendable. The other 20% of the movie is stolen by Woody Harrelson, Nadine's history teacher. In typical Harrelson fashion, he has a dry, troll-ish sense of humor and he easily earns the biggest laughs in a film that has plenty of them. Steinfeld and he have great chemistry and I dare say that their scenes together are worth the price of admission alone. The humor is very dark in these scenes, as is most of the film's, but it works because of the friendship they share and the fact that you can tell Nadine needs some tough love. 

As a whole, the film excels at being a memorable coming of age dramedy. The poignant moments don't work as well as I think the film intended, mainly because of all the dark humor that undercuts it, but they're still welcomed and the film is undeniably sweet in its more tender moments as well as its conclusion. The biggest issue the film has, as is the case with most of these high school drama films, is that it's utterly predictable. Not that I was looking for an Empire Strikes Back level of twist, but almost as soon as the film starts and you meet all the characters, you know almost exactly what is going to happen. Sure, there's always the argument that the journey is more important than the destination -- that's true to a certain extent, but it's also not something I can ignore when I can practically envision the final frame of the film 30 minutes in. Luckily though, even if you know what and how things are going to happen, The Edge of Seventeen is a very pleasant, funny journey with a decent amount to say along the way. 

This was my face after I'd fart in class...Can anyone smell that?

I'm sure many of you are like me in that this may not have been a film you would immediately seek out, especially given how busy November is going to be, but I'd encourage you to look into it as it doesn't disappoint. 

CONS:

• Sometimes the dark humor undercuts the emotional resonance that the film is trying to achieve
• Very, very predictable
• A bit cliched overall

PROS:

• Hailee Steinfeld does well here and she leads the film with what seems like ease. Her character is unlikable but you like her enough that you want her to succeed
• Woody Harrelson is a lot of fun as the cynical teacher. He and Steinfeld have good chemistry and their scenes together are gold
• Features some darkly funny humor that accurately represents what a lot of teenagers think/feel
• Fitting soundtrack
• Fun, thoughtful, and sweet with good intentions and nearly as good of an execution

Rath's Review Score | 8/10