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The Edge of Seventeen (2016), R, ★★★1/2


Now, what are you complaining about this time?
Let's start off right the bat that the late director, John Hughes, would love this movie and be appreciative on how rich the characters are drawn as reality sinks for a main teenage character but also some adult characters, especially a teacher with not much soul. This movie takes a look at a teenage girl's point view in the modern world to know what it is like when she is growing up maturely and what obstacles she has to face. Thanks to the clever and witty screenplay and one charming and outstanding performance, The Edge of Seventeen is surprisingly one of the funniest and poignant comedies of the year. 

Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld) is an awkward teenager who is on the verge of young adulthood. The movie starts in media res as she walks into Mr. Bruner's (Woody Harrelson) classroom interfering with his peace and lunch. She takes you back into the beginning as she noticed at the age of 7, his older brother, Darian (Christian Michael Cooper), was more popular and well-liked and she felt like that their mother, Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), liked him more than her. Her father, Tom (Eric Keenleyside), made her more secure but unfortunately, he gets in a car accident because of a heart attack and dies.

As time progresses, Nadine notices that Darian (now played by Blake Jenner) has gotten more handsome and Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), her best friend, tries to assure Nadine that she is fine. But, in the present, Krista spots Nick Mossman (Alexander Calvert), a boy who just got out of juvie and is attracted to him. Nadine meets Erwin Kim (Hayden Szeto), an equally awkward but friendly boy who has a crush on her. After a drunk-filled party where Nadine and Krista are induced with alcohol, Nadine wakes up with a hangover and finds Darian and Krista in bed together and all three are mortified.

Yeah! Get it!
This is a breath of fresh air as this latest coming-of-age film goes in a direction that very few films go in that route of self-awareness, maturity but also balance with witty humor in the dialogue. The last teen film to do that was The Spectacular Now, a unfortunate underrated film surrounding the romantic chemistry on the verge of graduation. The last coming-of-age film was The Way, Way Back as one character inhabits the humor but another inhabits awkwardness but in the end, the main character grows up to become a more confident person. The movie acknowledges that the material puts up with situations in her teenage world that manifests itself into more complicated and complex situations that seems to doom her as it seems in a teenage world that anything can happen.

Hailee Steinfeld has had a solid career but I believe this is her daunting performance to date as her character does not become too stereotypical as a over-melodramatic person with a dumb mind. But, she is a believably awkward, maturing girl with hormones that interferes with her judgment, as for example, when she texts something quite wrong to another boy and accidentally sends it. Blake Jenner is still good as the obnoxious older brother. Haley Lu Richardson is great as her friend as she also is going through hormones. Steinfeld and Hayden Szeto, who is great, has good chemistry as a couple of scenes that you think are predictable, go in a different direction. Woody Harrelson is great as the history teacher and Kyra Sedgwick is believable as a widowed mother who balances to get back in the game of dating and trying to overcome some anxiety as she is a single parent doing what is best for her children.

This is the directorial debut of Kelly Fremon Craig, who is also the writer of this movie but also a bad movie called Post-Grad (horrible movie). This movie is what it is, a coming-of-age dramedy that balances very sly humor with mature subjects as people are growing up to become young adults and serious topics interfere with their lives. This movie is not quite in the league of The Breakfast Club or Juno, but it is darn near close as its sharp script and Hailee Steinfeld's impeccable performance carries the movie along. This is one of the bright surprises of 2016 as the movie made me smile as this was over.

***1/2


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