Movie Monday: The Edge of Seventeen

While my husband was out of town recently, I chose a 2016 high school movie that I knew he wouldn't be interested in watching with me. I love high school TV shows and movies, though, so it was a good choice. The Edge of Seventeen is a sweet, funny story about the travails of being a teenager.

Nadine, played wonderfully by Hailee Steinfeld, wants to be a sarcastic, edgy seventeen-year old, but she is also awkward and self-conscious. Her father died of a sudden heart attack when she was younger, sitting right next to her while driving. He was her greatest admirer and protector, so Nadine feels lost without him. At least she still has Krista, played by Haley Lu Richardson, who has been her best friend (really, her only friend) since they were little girls. The two of them are inseparable...until Krista starts dating Nadine's seemingly perfect, Golden Boy older brother, Darian, played by Blake Jenner. Suddenly, Krista has entry into the world of cool teens that has previously been closed to them, but that leaves Nadine alone and isolated. Things go from bad to worse when Nadine mistakenly sexts her secret crush. The only person Nadine can talk to is her history teacher, Mr. Bruner, played by Woody Harrelson, who seems just as sarcastic and hard-edged as she is, but he helps to ground her when drama threatens to take over and is truly there for her when she really does need him. Will Nadine survive high school?

I really enjoyed this funny, warm movie. The writing is excellent, as is the acting, especially by Steinfeld and Harrelson, as you can see in the clip below. It's an age-old story but very well-done and with a modern edge to it. Despite Nadine's crusty exterior, I was rooting for her not only to survive but to thrive. Nadine does manage to work through many of her problems by the end, though there are plenty of laughs along the way. Maybe people (myself included) enjoy watching the painfully awkward teenage years play out on screen because we are just SO glad to be past all that now! This is a very entertaining look at high school, and just seeing the clip below makes me want to watch the movie again.

The Edge of Seventeen is currently available on Netflix. You can also rent it to stream on Amazon for $3.99 or on DVD.