For teens growing up in the 80s, John Hughes’ films like ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘The Breakfast’ Club’ became a staple of American youth culture. He was a writer/director who got it right with biting humor and bittersweet sensitivity. The new coming-of-age film ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ is a strong successor to that legacy. It’s a delicate genre that needs the right mixture of comedy and sincerity. To make it work, it takes the right actress to give the character believability. Ever since she came on the scene in the 2010 Coen Brothers’ remake of ‘True Grit,’ there was something special about Hailee Steinfeld. With a smart and funny script written by Kelly Fremon Craig in her directorial debut, Steinfeld finally gets the breakthrough role to showcase her acting talents.
High school is an awkward time for most teenagers. Nadine (Steinfeld) survives the hallways with a sharp wit and hip wardrobe. We also find out that she has learned how to navigate the social slings and arrows of Lakewood High School with the help of her bestie Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Flashbacks show us how they met in grade school and have been inseparable ever since. There is a tragic event dealing with her father that turns her middle-class lifestyle upside down. Through it all, Nadine’s older brother Darian (Blake Jenner from ‘Everybody Wants Some) emerges as a popular star athlete on campus. Problems arise when Darian and Krista hook-up at a house party and get into a serious relationship.
This is where the story kicks into high gear. When Krista and Darian invite Nadine to a party as the third wheel, she’s mortified. Darian introduces Krista to his social circle and Nadine feels left out. It’s an awkward moment that many have felt at a house party where you feel invisible. She goes into the bathroom, looks into the mirror and gives herself a pep talk. She retreats to the porch where another loner compares her to Danny DeVito in ‘Twins.’ She calls her mother to pick her up from the party. One of the themes in the film is the use of cars as a transitional device. When she wants to escape an awkward moment, she jumps in a car. When she loses her father to a heart attack, it’s in a car. When she goes out with her high school crush bad boy Nick (Alexander Calvert), it’s in his shitty car. When she has a fight with her mother, she takes off in mom’s car. It is the quintessential motif for teens since cars play such a key role in their journey to adulthood.
Some of the best scenes are between Nadine and her favorite teacher Mr. Bruner (an excellent Woody Harrelson). She barges into his classroom at lunchtime. In a sarcastic tone, he gives her life lessons. At times, she has an unfiltered way of criticizing people including his baldness and meager salary. Mr. Bruner takes it all in stride as she spouts how she is an old soul. In reality, she is a typical high school teenager trying to find her value and place in the world. She is so highly opinionated that she never realizes how her insults hurt people until it is too late. It’s a poignant and deeply moving performance from Steinfeld. She never tries to play the likable teen but she always portrays the truest essence of Nadine. This is not the stereotypical teenage girl. She has many layers to her personality that makes us care about her even when she acts like a hellion.
The cast is equally believable particularly her fellow classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto), a nice guy who has a passion for filmmaking and an obvious crush on Nadine. The way they talk to each other sounds like the way teenagers would actually interact with each other. Craig’s dialogue is smart, funny and at times heartbreaking. We are rooting for her to see through Nick’s superficial personality and recognize Erwin’s terrific qualities. This is why the story is so uplifting. Nadine might be going through a bumpy journey but she is a smart girl that will eventually figure it out. ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ perfectly captures that awkward time that teenagers go through on their way to adulthood.
