My first review of 2017! I can’t believe that the first week
of this year has already flown by. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to see this
movie, only because I’m not always the biggest fan of coming of age or romance
films. But as my close friend is really into films like this and I’ve made her
sit through countless horror/thriller films I figured I owed her one. So here
we go.
Set in American suburbia, The Edge of Seventeen revolves
around the life of Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), a high school student who has
felt as though she was an outcast her entire life, owing to her unorthodox and
sometimes brash personality. Dodging awkward advances from her classmate Erwin
(Hayden Szeto) and secretly crushing on school bad boy Nick (Alexander
Calvert), her only saving grace is her best and only friend Krista (Haley Lu
Richardson), who she met in primary school. Things begin to get complicated
when, after a party night at her house, Nadine awakes to find Krista in bed
with her older brother Darien (Blake Jenner), whom she has always felt inferior
to because of his popularity and charm. Feeling as though she is going to lose
her best friend to her brother as well as the burden of her overprotective and
misunderstanding mother, Nadine begins to confide in her high school teacher
Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson). As her life slowly begins to unravel, Nadine
begins to wonder: can anything in life really be perfect, or will high school
never end?
The positives: Above all else, the acting in this movie is one of its biggest
selling points. Standouts have definitely got to be Woody Harrelson as the
sarcastic teacher who really gives zero shits (but c’mon, we all saw that
coming from the trailer) and Hayden Szeto who brings the perfect amount of
awkward and charming to the character of Erwin. Hailee Stienfelds’ Nadine was
also a really refreshing twist on the coming of age protagonist, moving away
from the usual passive and introverted main character to someone who is
overdramatic, selfish and frankly, a loudmouth, having spent her life in her
brother’s shadow. But in terms of the story, one of the best running themes in
this film has to be the reminder that not everything is always what it seems,
and that life can throw things at you without warning. The storyline was
interesting and made me care about the characters and their relationships to
one another, so I can definitely say the movie was genuinely entertaining.
The negatives: I wish I could say that this movie hit the nail on the head in
its entirety, but once again pacing begins to have a really big impact on this
film. The amount of different locations, different plot points and character
development happening at the same time make it begin to feel a bit crowded
after a while. As an audience member I felt at times that certain parts of the
story deserved more attention. As well as this, a lot of people have been
comparing this film to ones such as Clueless (1995) and Mean Girls (2004):
this is nowhere near that territory in my opinion. If you were into films such
as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Sisterhood
of the Travelling Pants (2005) (and I may have revealed just how old I am with
that last one) this will be for you. But be warned, while this film has a feel
good vibe at the end, it’s not always as chipper as the trailers might like you
to think, so if you’re gonna take your 10 year old to see it, maybe think
again?
In the end, this film is fun, relatable and will definitely become a classic.
Its witty writing and entertaining plot will make it worth your money if you’re
into these kind of films, and also remind you of the times when you were young
and stupid and made mistakes that seemed as though they’d last a lifetime (if
you’re old like me that is). Although its not perfect, its certainly worth a
watch.
