Stevie Nicks might throw up a bit watching the movie named after her most famous song. The Edge of Seventeen tries really hard to be the next John Hughes movie. However, John Hughes movies have a sweetness and innocence that the Edge of Seventeen masquerades it possesses. This movie is ok when you’re watching, but quickly leaves a sour taste in your mouth 5 minutes after the credits roll.
Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is your typical awkward teenager. Her brother Darian (Blake Jenner) and mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick) don’t understand her at all. Her dad (Eric Keenleyside) did understand her, but he’s not around currently. Not all is bad though; Nadine is inseparable from her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), and Erwin (Hayden Szeto), a not so secret admirer. However, Nadine’s world turns upside down when Krista and Darian show interest in one another, leaving Nadine without an anchor. With nowhere else to turn, she asks for help from her history teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) about what to do with her hopeless situation.
A great teen comedy might mire itself in despair and self pity, but usually there is a beating heart at its center. Edge of Seventeen is surprisingly empty in the middle. The movie relies on traumatic acts and manipulation to isolate its lead, and Nadine knowingly derails all other relationships around her when bad things happen to those close to her. However, the Edge of Seventeen lives in the hope-filled teen movie world, which clangs mightily with the relatively sad story it is telling. As a result, the payoff pissed me off more than it made me happy. Nadine is a character hardly worth rooting for, and the movie wants us to see her happy when she screws herself over and refuses to own up to it and neglect people better than her. The Edge of Seventeen will make you unhappy how Nadine falls up even though she doesn’t really deserve it.
Only acting saves this movie from being awful. As much as I hate Nadine, I like Hailee Steinfeld a lot. She hits the emotional notes right for the story, even if the surrounding cues tell a different one. Blake Jenner will be famous very soon; his Darian is one of the best things in the movie, giving the stereotypical jock brother some real pathos and conflict. Kyra Sedgwick is also very good, better than I’ve seen her before, as a mom who needs more parenting than her kids do. And as always, Woody Harrelson makes the movie more fun and entertaining when he shows up.
It’s clear writer director Kelly Fremon Craig has been studying teen classics. I hope she works on the soul at the center of her future movies, because the Edge of Seventeen needs some direction, like a teen movie star. Thanks for dragging Woody Harrelson into this too. I really like that guy, dang it.