THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN REVIEWED
“The Edge of Seventeen” is a great teen movie. All teen movies should be rated R. The efforts that go into appeasing a base that is too self-absorbed to get material targeting them has always bothered me. Have movies like this waiting on the other side of their 14-17 year old bullshit, so that they can reflect and understand. Hailee Steinfeld is becoming one of those leads that just knocks it out of the park. I’ve seen some of the DTV garbage she’s headlined and she even shines in that.
So, why is it that we don’t get more teen films like this? The SJW crowd will tackle the fact that it’s because women rarely get to write and direct American releases. Others will opine something that I will never read. I think it boils down to the nature of Steinfeld’s Nadine. Nadine self loathes to the point that suicide might be the only thing to shut her up. Creating a teenager that is needy, interesting and draining at the same time is quite the feat.
This is a film that is too good for most young kids. The mouth breathers need time to become aware of their terrible nature and to understand their environment. Watching a film like this at a certain point of life will be like looking in an infinite row of mirrors. Nothing will make sense, but there will always be a nagging sense of missing something deeper. Stunning work all around.
FILM STATS
- 1 hr and 44 mins
- R
- STX/Universal
