The Edge of Seventeen - directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
This is the sort of movie that I hope will do really well but fear won't.
Not that I blame anyone who looks at the poster or watches the trailer and thinks 'Ugh... stupid teen girl flick'.
"The Edge of Seventeen" may be about a teenaged girl but it is far from stupid.
It is sort of a spiritual successor to the 2010 Emma Stone film "Easy A".
Like "Easy A" it has a charismatic lead, wonderful support from some veteran performers and a nice mix of drama and humour.
That will either convince you to see "The Edge of Seventeen" or put you off completely.
In "The Edge of Seventeen" Hailee Steinfeld plays Nadine who - you guessed it- is seventeen years old.
She has a crisis that drives her to interrupt her teachers lunch - something that he is less than thrilled about as it happens quite a lot!
You've seen this scene if you've seen the trailer.
It starts the movie off on a light and funny note before we shoot back in time for a spell to see Nadine as a young girl failing to fit in at school.
Nadine also does not get along at all well with her Mother (Kyra Sedgwick) but does have a great bond with her Father.
As much as each fresh zit and every argument with her popular brother Darian seems like the end of the world to Nadine real trouble is not far away.
Her beloved Father dies suddenly leaving her Mother even more difficult to handle and with Nadine feeling even more alone in the world.
She has only one friend - Krista.
Then the issue that drives her to her teacher Mr Bruner's office occurs.
Krista starts dating Darian - not an acceptable turn of events for Nadine!
There is no doubting the talent that Hailee Steinfeld is in possession of.
"True Grit" was a great introduction to the actress but this movie along with "Begin Again" shows the range that she has.
Nadine is still a smart, quick witted girl but she is also a deeply flawed one in the way that young people on their way to adulthood often are.
The whole world revolves around Nadine in her eyes- something that Mr Bruner tries to convince her the fallacy of.
The scenes in which Steinfeld bounces off co-star Woody Harrelson as her long-suffering teacher are some of the best in the movie.
Harrelson gets most of the killer lines but like several other characters also has some surprises in store for Nadine.
These surprises are a lot of the reason that "The Edge of Seventeen" manages to veer away from the many, many cliches it flirts with.
I was worried for much of the first half that this would be just another teen drama but writer director Kelly Fremon Craig's script is far too smart for that.
Just one example is the handling of the bad-boy that Nadine has her eye on.
Although this plays out almost exactly as I had suspected it would it still found an original, believable way to provide a new angle on it.
Steinfeld is particularly strong in this scene too.
Steinfeld and Harrelson turning in great performances is not surprisingly but for me "Everybody Wants Some" star Blake Jenner was unproven.
I liked him Richard Linklater's 2016 movie but it didn't have a lot to do.
This movie starts his character off in similar fashion but Darian has extra depth that comes into play in the second half of the film.
Sadly his new girlfriend Krista played by Haley Lu Richardson doesn't have a lot more to do other than be the trigger for the drama.
Shame because Richardson is very good with the little that she is given to do.
More than taking up the slack however is possibly my favourite character (certainly of the supporting players).
Hayden Szeto as Erwin is fantastic.
Erwin sits next to Nadine in one of her classes and constantly tries to spark up conversations with her.
He is completely lovesick over Nadine and it results in some horrifically cringeworthy moments of ill advised wording and stammering.
There is an hilarious scene set on a ferris wheel that not only brings in the laughs but serves as a fine example of how good the script is at taking a situation we've seen a hundred times in similar movies and finding a fresh new way to deal with it.
For all of the praise that I have heaped on the freshness and with of the script there is still a predictability to "The Edge of Seventeen".
I guess it is hard to do too much with the basic premise without resorting to over the top events and melodrama but still - much of what happens to wrap the movie up is not hard to pick quite early on.
However in this movies case it matters not one little bit.
The journey is truly the treat.
There is a great soundtrack that includes the likes of The Alan Parsons Project, Billy Joel, Aimee Mann and Spandau Ballet.
I loved all of the characters and all of the performances but most of all it is the wit and emotion that is packed into the screenplay that makes this movie head and shoulders above films of its ilk.
It certainly is a showcase for its cast (Sedgwick has a thankless role that she gets oh so right) but the real breakout star here is Kelly Fremon Craig.
I can find no follow up movie listed on her IMDB page but I hope that one comes along soon if this is what she is capable of.
RATING: 83 / 100
CONCLUSION: Funny, smart and with plenty to say "The Edge of Seventeen" has a real heart to it. Anchored by the brilliant work of Steinfeld and Harrelson it still allows for some wonderful supporting work - specially from Szeto.
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Hayden Szeto, Alexander Calvert, Eric Keenleyside, Daniel Bacon, Nesta Cooper, Lina Renna, Ava Grace Cooper, Meredith Monroe
Screenplay: Kelly Fremon Craig
Music Score by: Atli Orvarsson
Cinematography: Doug Emmett
Edited by: Tracey Wadmore-Smith
Running Time: 104 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Language and sexual content
Running Time: 104 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Language and sexual content
Not that I blame anyone who looks at the poster or watches the trailer and thinks 'Ugh... stupid teen girl flick'.
"The Edge of Seventeen" may be about a teenaged girl but it is far from stupid.
It is sort of a spiritual successor to the 2010 Emma Stone film "Easy A".
Like "Easy A" it has a charismatic lead, wonderful support from some veteran performers and a nice mix of drama and humour.
That will either convince you to see "The Edge of Seventeen" or put you off completely.
In "The Edge of Seventeen" Hailee Steinfeld plays Nadine who - you guessed it- is seventeen years old.
She has a crisis that drives her to interrupt her teachers lunch - something that he is less than thrilled about as it happens quite a lot!
You've seen this scene if you've seen the trailer.
It starts the movie off on a light and funny note before we shoot back in time for a spell to see Nadine as a young girl failing to fit in at school.
Nadine also does not get along at all well with her Mother (Kyra Sedgwick) but does have a great bond with her Father.
As much as each fresh zit and every argument with her popular brother Darian seems like the end of the world to Nadine real trouble is not far away.
Her beloved Father dies suddenly leaving her Mother even more difficult to handle and with Nadine feeling even more alone in the world.
She has only one friend - Krista.
Then the issue that drives her to her teacher Mr Bruner's office occurs.
Krista starts dating Darian - not an acceptable turn of events for Nadine!
 |
| Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson and far right - Woody Harrelson |
"True Grit" was a great introduction to the actress but this movie along with "Begin Again" shows the range that she has.
Nadine is still a smart, quick witted girl but she is also a deeply flawed one in the way that young people on their way to adulthood often are.
The whole world revolves around Nadine in her eyes- something that Mr Bruner tries to convince her the fallacy of.
The scenes in which Steinfeld bounces off co-star Woody Harrelson as her long-suffering teacher are some of the best in the movie.
Harrelson gets most of the killer lines but like several other characters also has some surprises in store for Nadine.
These surprises are a lot of the reason that "The Edge of Seventeen" manages to veer away from the many, many cliches it flirts with.
I was worried for much of the first half that this would be just another teen drama but writer director Kelly Fremon Craig's script is far too smart for that.
Just one example is the handling of the bad-boy that Nadine has her eye on.
Although this plays out almost exactly as I had suspected it would it still found an original, believable way to provide a new angle on it.
Steinfeld is particularly strong in this scene too.
Steinfeld and Harrelson turning in great performances is not surprisingly but for me "Everybody Wants Some" star Blake Jenner was unproven.
I liked him Richard Linklater's 2016 movie but it didn't have a lot to do.
This movie starts his character off in similar fashion but Darian has extra depth that comes into play in the second half of the film.
Sadly his new girlfriend Krista played by Haley Lu Richardson doesn't have a lot more to do other than be the trigger for the drama.
Shame because Richardson is very good with the little that she is given to do.
More than taking up the slack however is possibly my favourite character (certainly of the supporting players).
Hayden Szeto as Erwin is fantastic.
Erwin sits next to Nadine in one of her classes and constantly tries to spark up conversations with her.
He is completely lovesick over Nadine and it results in some horrifically cringeworthy moments of ill advised wording and stammering.
There is an hilarious scene set on a ferris wheel that not only brings in the laughs but serves as a fine example of how good the script is at taking a situation we've seen a hundred times in similar movies and finding a fresh new way to deal with it.
 |
| Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Hayden Szeto. Far right - director Fremon Craig with legendary producer James L Brooks |
I guess it is hard to do too much with the basic premise without resorting to over the top events and melodrama but still - much of what happens to wrap the movie up is not hard to pick quite early on.
However in this movies case it matters not one little bit.
The journey is truly the treat.
There is a great soundtrack that includes the likes of The Alan Parsons Project, Billy Joel, Aimee Mann and Spandau Ballet.
I loved all of the characters and all of the performances but most of all it is the wit and emotion that is packed into the screenplay that makes this movie head and shoulders above films of its ilk.
It certainly is a showcase for its cast (Sedgwick has a thankless role that she gets oh so right) but the real breakout star here is Kelly Fremon Craig.
I can find no follow up movie listed on her IMDB page but I hope that one comes along soon if this is what she is capable of.
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