"The Edge of Seventeen" movie review

Before I talk about The Edge of Seventeen, I want to quickly discuss Hailee Steinfeld’s career trajectory, which I find interesting.  Hailee made her movie debut in 2010’s True Grit, which was a commercial and critical success; she earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance—a rarity for a debut.  Following this, the 13-year-old took a short break from acting and went into modeling for an Italian designer.  Hailee did return to acting in 2013, with varying success:  I liked her in Begin Again; the way her character is used in The Homesman (itself a terrible film) creeped me out; Pitch Perfect 2 was a terrible, godawful movie but Hailee wasn’t bad in it. 

None of the post-True Grit work is particularly interesting; what does fascinate me, however, is that in conjunction with Pitch Perfect 2, Hailee pursued a singing career.  Her debut single, “Love Myself,” is a song about masturbating masquerading as a female empowerment song; the song did well for a debut, peaking in the top 40.  Hailee is currently in the top 20 with her follow-up single, “Starving,” which is just as suggestive.

I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you

Don’t need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo

By the way, by the way, you do things to my body

I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you

I’m just saying:  it’s rare that an Academy Award nominated actress takes this career trajectory. 

Anyway, let’s talk about The Edge of Seventeen.  Hailee plays Nadine, a high school junior who is going through her fair share of teenage angst:  her father died unexpectedly just two years prior; her mother (played by Kyra Sedgwick) clearly prefers Nadine’s twin brother, Darian (Blake Jenner, unrelated to those Jenners); and Nadine walks in on her twin getting a handjob from her best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), which causes tension between the three.  To make matters even more dire, Nadine is attracted to an upperclassman who doesn’t know that she exists; meanwhile, Nadine has caught the attention of an awkward classmate named Erwin (Hayden Szeto).  Luckily for her (and unluckily for him), Nadine takes every opportunity to vent to her history teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson).

This movie plays out exactly as you’d expect.  Does the tension between mother and daughter get resolved?  Is Nadine’s friendship with Krista over forever?  Will the upperclassman notice Nadine, or will she end up with Erwin?  I think we already know the answers to these questions.

On the plus side, while the script is derivative of every teenage movie ever made, the dialogue is quite funny.  Hailee plays off Woody Harrelson well, and she has similar success with the rest of the actors.  Honestly, Hailee is the glue that holds this movie together in an inoffensive mold.  Sure, we know where the story is leading us, but during the film’s hour and a half running time, I didn’t mind the ride.

Note:  Last year I saw a forgettable teen movie called The Duff, wherein every character was played by someone in their late 20s or early 30s.  At the time of The Edge of Seventeen’s release, Hailee Steinfeld is 19, Haley Lu Richardson is 21, and Blake Jenner is 24.  Nadine’s two love interests—Alexander Calvert and Hayden Szeto—are 26 and 31, respectively.  I suppose if you want to see a Hollywood production where the young characters are being played by age appropriate actors, you’ll have to catch Stranger Things.

Rating:  C+