The Edge of Seventeen – Film Review
The Edge of Seventeen is directed by Kelly Fremon Craig and stars Hailee Steinfeld as a teenage girl named Nadine, who suffers from depression, and is very
socially awkward, mainly because of a very tragic family accident that happened to her years ago. And this movie practically shows Nadine traversing through
high school and having to deal with all these terrible things in her life.
Now, in case you didn’t know, Hailee Steinfeld is actually in movies like True Grit, and Pitch Perfect, but, she is also a singer. She has her own albums out
which is great for her, but usually when singers are actors, sometimes it doesn’t quite work out, but that is not the case with her in The Edge of Seventeen, in fact,
after seeing this movie, not only do I want to see it again, but I really want to listen to all her music.
Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine in The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
She does an absolutely fantastic job playing Nadine. And even though her character can be a bit of a brat at times, you can really understand why. And no
spoilers (because this scene happens literally in the first 10 minutes) her dad dies, and because of this, she is a changed person, obviously. She deals with
depression and nobody ever talks to her. Everybody ignores her, but she does have only one friend (and no spoilers again because it happens right away) her best friend
starts dating her brother. So life is literally horrible for Nadine and you always feel bad for her.
Woody Harrelson is also fantastic in this movie, and he plays Nadine’s teacher. Most of the time when Nadine is upset or just needs to vent to somebody, she goes right
to Woody Harrelson in hopes that somehow he can help her through her mess. Some of the best scenes in the entire movie come from the scenes with Nadine and her teacher
because they can be quite funny at times.
Hailee Steinfeld (left) as Nadine and Woody Harrelson (right) as Mr. Bruner in The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
That’s another thing that is truly amazing about this movie – it has humor. Sometimes when movies just shove depressing things in your face, it can get a bit boring
and stale, and just a bit too grey, but this movie has humor involved, and it knows when the right time is to show you the humor.
And this movie really is a big look at how some tragic moments in your life, and how broken friendships can really change you as a person and that’s great to see
in a movie. Nadine has depression, and nobody wants to be her friend at all, and it’s upsetting to see. And also, she has a crush in this movie she just can’t seem
to muster up the courage to go and talk to him, and it’s really great to see this much realness in a movie.
However, I do think at times the character motivations are a bit questionable at times. Some scenes in this movie, I couldn’t help but think during the entire scene,
“Why would you do that”? But that doesn’t happen too much.
But this movie is really great, because most people might think this movie is only meant for teenagers in high school right now and stuff, but that’s not true at all.
Honestly this movie is perfect for anybody to watch. If you’re 55 I bet you would love this movie, and I think the reason why is because there is always something
in this movie that we can all relate to.
In-Summary: The Edge of Seventeen is a bold, stylish, witty, hilarious, brilliantly acted, emotional powerhouse of a film, boasting a terrific Hailee Steinfeld.
Overall Grade: A
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language and some drinking – all involving teens
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Woody Harrelson, Blake Jenner, Hayden Szeto
Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Distributed by: STX Entertainment
Running Time: 104 minutes