The Edge of Seventeen (2016) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Editor’s Note: this is an old, unformatted, unedited review. The author’s opinion might not match the original thoughts written in this article.

Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Hayden Szeto

Runtime: 104 min

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a 17-year old high-school student who was living life as good as she could until a tragic event hits her family.

After her best (and only) friend starts dating her older brother, everything seems to make her life even more miserable, turning her into a depressed and isolated girl ...

I didn't have any expectations for this movie, even when its percentage at RottenTomatoes was near 100%. I just thought it was another coming-of-age film like all the others, with no particular difference ... Ups.

The Edge of Seventeen is fantastic! It isn't a conventional coming-of-age movie, it has so much more to it. Starting on the rating, I love the fact that this is rated R. There's never a single scene where someone tells a teenager "oh, you can't say that". All of the youngsters in this film talk like high-schoolers, they say "shit" and "fuck" like they say in real life because that's actually realistic. Kelly Fremon Craig does a great job not manipulating what is real, she just shows how it is in our world nowadays with no strings attached.

Hailee Steinfeld ... Wow. I never thought of her as a real contender for big parts in big movies, but after this one, she definitely saved herself a spot on the top. She's so real, she says everything that once went through our minds during this time and she perfectly captures all of it: sadness, depression, suicidal mind ... happiness, pride, sense of relief ... She carries the whole film and I wouldn't be too surprise to see an Oscar or a Golden Globe nomination.

The rest of the cast is also great. Everyone from Haley Lu Richardson (Krista), who plays her best friend, to her teacher, Woody Harrelson (Mr. Bruner). The humor involved between the characters is super funny, the writing is on point for each of them and the story is also really good.

I guess my only complaints are the slightly rushed ending and some personality details about Nadine that should've been better explained instead of just being left out there (like her being "an old soul" and not having anything in common with students around her age).

Either way, The Edge of Seventeen is one of the greatest surprises of 2016 and one of the best coming-of-age movies in a long, long time. Hailee Steinfeld is pitch-perfect on his role as Nadine, the writing is great, the story is good and the humor is super funny throughout the whole film. Some minor issues bring down the movie a little, but it is still an amazing time at the theater.

| A+ : 9.3-10 | A: 8.7-9.2 | A- : 8.0-8.6 | B+ : 7.3-7.9 | B: 6.7-7.2 | B- : 6.0-6.6 || C+ : 5.3-5.9 | C: 4.7-5.2 | C- : 4.0-4.6 | D+ : 3.3-3.9 | D: 2.7-3.2 | D- : 2.0-2.6 | F: 0-1.9 |