The Edge of Seventeen

Year: 2016
Genre: Comedy
Directed: Kelly Fremon Craig
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson, Hayden Szeto, Alexander Calvert, Eric Keenleyside, Nesta Cooper, Daniel Bacon, Lina Renna, Ava Grace Cooper, Christian Michael Cooper
Production: Gracie Films

For those who enjoyed the brittle humor of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), swooned over the youthful spirit of Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and thought to themselves; "can we get shades of John Hughes up in here?" Boy is there a movie out there for you. Written and directed by first timer Kelly Fremon Craig, The Edge of Seventeen is one of those rare movies that works as a gentle, general audience-pleaser and a laser focused dialogue, calling out the gawky, shoe-gazing teenager in all of us. There are typical teenage movies, then there are movies like The Edge of Seventeen.

"There are two types of people in this world..." remarks Hailee Steinfeld's rancorous beginning narration. "Those who seem to have it easy, and those who hope those people die in a fire." The assumed "other" person in her discourse is her brother Darian (Jenner), who is first introduced a young boy, running out of the family car to glob onto his group of popular friends. By the time Darian is in high school, he looks like he should be on the cover of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. Nadine (Steinfeld) on the other hand is terrifyingly hyper-aware of herself - immured by her various faults to the point of drowning. Yet since early childhood Nadine has had one faithful ally: her best friend Krista (Richardson). "She appeared like an angel," continues Nadine in voice over - seemingly unaware that Krista and Darian are doomed to start a perky high school romance that sends Nadine's world crashing downward.

While one could talk for ages about Fremon Craig's uncannily confident direction, and the wistful autumn time cinematography of DP Doug Emmett, the success of The Edge of Seventeen rests almost entirely on the shoulders of Hailee Steinfeld. To that end Steinfeld proves not just stellar but invaluable. Her role requires a lot out of her. As a solipsistic and morose teenager she has to be a bully, a misanthrope and an impatient, neurotic browbeater convincingly seeing the apocalyptic in the trivial. All that and she has to be likable too! Thankfully Steinfeld doesn't merely rely on clever dialogue and the audience's shared feeling of embarrassment to carry her through. Her expressive body language, flawless delivery and disarming lack of pretense keeps you invested and rooting for her all the way through.

To my recollection only Alicia Silverstone's performance in Clueless (1995) can really compare. As Nadine, Steinfeld colors and shapes the entire movie, bridging cliches and obligatory story elements with pure, unadulterated, sometimes painful truths. And yes there are a lot of obligatory story elements which thankfully aren't inserted ironically in a post-modern ploy to appeal to the masses.

Looking at you, Easy A (2010)

The laughs here are actually earned and because the quiet, bittersweet moments are actually given room to breathe, the rollicking, hilarious moments are good enough to be remembered for decades.

Sharp, witty and respectfully grounded in the emotional epicenter of teenage life, The Edge of Seventeen is simultaneously one of the funniest movies this year and one of the most honest. The script, despite treading on familiar paths, has a lot to offer as far as hilarious quotes and painfully awkward situations. Yet thanks to the brilliant work of Hailee Steinfeld and the deft support by veteran actors Kyra Sedgwick and Woody Harrelson, the film gracefully crystallizes into something a little bolder, truer and more authentic.


Final Grade: B+