The Edge of Seventeen

Name: The Edge of Seventeen
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: November 18, 2016
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Blake Jenner, Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson

2016

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Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 243 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 243 Ratings

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The Edge Of Seventeen

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Movie Details & Credits

STX Entertainment | Release Date: November 18, 2016 | R

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

Summary: Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendshipEveryone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.… Expand

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

IndieWire David Ehrlich

Sep 17, 2016

Unfolding like a symphony of small humiliations, there isn’t a moment in this movie that doesn’t feel at least vaguely familiar, and there isn’t a moment in this movie that doesn’t feel completely true. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Christy Lemire

Nov 17, 2016

The Edge of Seventeen is a strong successor to Hughes’ legacy with its mix of biting humor and bittersweet heart. Read full review

Jesse Hassenger

Nov 16, 2016

Despite its upstart distributor and relatively low-key cast, it’s an unabashedly mainstream movie; compared with edgier, more indie versions of onscreen American youth, it might even look a little pat. Read full review

Dominick Suzanne-Mayer

Nov 16, 2016

The Edge of Seventeen has more than enough earnestness of heart to make up for its structural shortcomings. It’s a teen film with an uncommonly honest ear for interactions. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Nov 18, 2016

The best teen comedy since the heyday of Hughes, raunchier and randier as befits the passing decades, but with kids just as mixed-up as ever, and over exactly the same things. Teen angst never goes away, it just deserves a witty updating every now and then. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Nov 17, 2016

Snarky and sensitive in just the right measure, what initially looks like a glib exercise in adolescent mortification has the nerve to dig a little deeper. And it winds up mining a little bit of wisdom and compassion in the process. Read full review

Richard Brody

Nov 15, 2016

Only Hailee Steinfeld’s committed performance as Nadine, a troubled high-school junior in Oregon, and Woody Harrelson’s deft turn, as a teacher who helps her, make this thin and cliché-riddled comic drama worth watching. Read full review

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User Reviews

Nehemiah

Nov 21, 2016

This movie attracts a lot of hipsters at the theater that I work at. Also while I was working one of my co-workers was kind of crapping on it because he thought it looked like a chick flick. So I was considering just putting off seeing it. But I did end up seeing it and thought it wasThis movie attracts a lot of hipsters at the theater that I work at. Also while I was working one of my co-workers was kind of crapping on it because he thought it looked like a chick flick. So I was considering just putting off seeing it. But I did end up seeing it and thought it was freaking amazing. The first half hour felt almost like a sucker punch with the unabashedly inconsiderate main characters who seem more and more like people I know throughout the movie. Yet the movie was consistently hilarious when it wanted to be and was all so beautifully shot. It was refreshing to me how much I could relate to Hailee Steinfeld's character especially as a guy. By the way she is insanely gorgeous and I haven't seen her in anything before but she gave a real tour de force. I just fell in love with the cast by the end of the movie and I'm probably going to re watch it again. It seemed to have a very triumphant tone to it and I highly recommend anyone watching it.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

aleckeith

Jan 2, 2019

This movie is more than just a great lead acting role. With an extremely solid story line, it is hard hitting. You can see yourself in place of any character portrayed. A story that anyone would see themselves reliving. There are many layers to this movie, with each and every one packing aThis movie is more than just a great lead acting role. With an extremely solid story line, it is hard hitting. You can see yourself in place of any character portrayed. A story that anyone would see themselves reliving. There are many layers to this movie, with each and every one packing a punch, giving the viewer exactly what they want.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Spangle

Nov 26, 2016

The Edge of Seventeen is nothing short of a brilliant work. Somehow the directorial debut of Kelly Fremon Craig, the film is polished, smart, witty, and a poignant look at the depressed/ostracized teenager of today. While now a trendy topic, The Edge of Seventeen still remains an importantThe Edge of Seventeen is nothing short of a brilliant work. Somehow the directorial debut of Kelly Fremon Craig, the film is polished, smart, witty, and a poignant look at the depressed/ostracized teenager of today. While now a trendy topic, The Edge of Seventeen still remains an important film due to its approach to growing up in the digital age. While an incredibly funny film, it still manages to pull back the curtain on depression and shows what low self-esteem can do to a person who is already on the outskirts of the social world. In a powerhouse performance, Hailee Steinfeld grabs the film by the reins and steers it home, furthering cementing her status as a rising star in the acting world. At her side, Woody Harrelson turns in his best performance in years.

The Edge of Seventeen focuses on 17-year old Nadine (Steinfeld). Different from the other kids, she has always had trouble making friends. However, her best friend - Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) - has been with her since second grade. Since that time, Nadine's father - her at-home best friend - died. Now, she is stuck with depression, a brother who is popular, and a mother who has never gotten on well with her. All of this is the formula for Nadine's breakdown when Krista begins to date Nadine's brother, Darian (Blake Jenner). Everything Nadine is not, she feels deeply hurt that her best friend has betrayed her and, in Nadine's eyes, grown past her.

A poignant film, The Edge of Seventeen has many cliches from the wise teacher to the meet-cute with a guy in Nadine's class, as well as her fumbling through a potential sexual encounter with her dream guy. That said, it still brings enough originality through Nadine. Incredibly well-written and fleshed out, Nadine's struggles are universal with some tremendous dialogue along the way that really highlights her inner-feelings. Particularly, at the end when she describes how she likes to imagine she is the only one with problems to, potentially, feel unique. A moving scene, this moment really underscores what is Nadine's problem and why she struggles to fit in. Her own worst enemy, she projects negative intentions on others due to her own low self-esteem. She assumes people cannot like her or love her because of her own insecurities. A throwaway line, yet one of the best, comes from Krista. When Nadine is nearing getting over Krista dating Darian, Krista says, "I missed her." Though Nadine may not love herself, others do. Krista does. Darian does. Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), her mother, does. Hell, Mr. Bruner (Harrelson), her history teacher, does. If only she can stop hating herself, her eyes would be opened to how much she is loved. That said, it is easier said than done.

Insightful into the struggle of a teenage girl to find the ability to love herself, The Edge of Seventeen is often moving, largely due to its authenticity. Each character acts like a real human being and speaks as though they were one as well. The situations are universal, especially for those who were unpopular in high school. In this way, it manages to be incredibly impactful with Craig able to create a film that is truly poignant without being sentimental or schmaltzy. It hits home because it is real, not because it is manipulative.

While the drama element is tremendously written, so is the comedy. Largely coming from Woody Harrelson or Hayden Szeto (who plays Erwin Kim - a boy who likes Nadine). The dry humor and deadpan delivery of Harrelson's Mr. Bruner is a lot of this films charm. Every scene Harrelson is in, he steals it completely. Similarly, the love-struck and awkward Erwin is brought to life through tremendously awkward and nerdy delivery by Szeto. Every encounter between him and Nadine is imbued with the curiosity, awkwardness, and uncertainty of all potential teenage romances, which - again - makes it incredibly impactful. While witty and incredibly funny, The Edge of Seventeen strikes an excellent balance between the comedy and the drama that few films can ever dream of accomplishing. Jokes do not obstruct here. They add and come at terrific times with great delivery by all.

Poignant and funny, The Edge of Seventeen is a tremendous debut from Kelly Fremon Craig. Many have compared her to a modern day John Hughes and maybe this is true, but I need to see more before making the comparison. As it stands, this is a terrific debut with great direction, phenomenal acting, and writing that is smart, witty, and respectful of its characters, even when their struggles are somewhat self-created. A film that hits home for many, The Edge of Seventeen is a film that lives up to the significant amount of hype.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Aproxx

Aug 5, 2018

The script and acting was so awesome and I guess the themes accurate, that I can forgive a bunch of unrealistic resolutions to some realistic problems. Some for comedic effects, some for confortably resolve them.

This girl is great and Woody Harrelson just uses his charm by now. He's on that level

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ScarlettMi

Nov 23, 2016

There were moments in this film that were just too painfully relatable. It had a timeless quality to it that almost made it feel like it could have been set at any time in the last few decades. I loved how much of a disaster Hailee Steinfeld's Nadine was. This wasn't the case of her justThere were moments in this film that were just too painfully relatable. It had a timeless quality to it that almost made it feel like it could have been set at any time in the last few decades. I loved how much of a disaster Hailee Steinfeld's Nadine was. This wasn't the case of her just being quirky. She was genuinely flawed and the movie often allowed her to be the character that was in the wrong, despite being the protagonist. Kelly Fremon Craig trusted the audience to be able to still empathize with a character that isn't always the most sympathetic one in the scene and I loved that about the movie.

The movie is filled with great performances. The relationship between Hailee Steinfeld's Nadine and her teacher (Woody Harrelson) is especially entertaining and a highlight of the film.

"The Edge of Seventeen" felt like a more honest and genuine teen movie than I've seen in a while and I really enjoyed it.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

SrPepe

Jan 21, 2020

Una película entretenida, con un entretenido relato que muestra situaciones típicas de la adolescencia, y una gran actuación de Hailee Steinfeld. Eso sí, muchas partes cliché.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

dannyt986

Feb 5, 2017

Deja vu all over again. The movie is worth more than a 30, but the current score 77 needs seriously watering down. And now Im just writing something to get to 150 chars...

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

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