Release Date: November 18th, 2016
“There are two types of people in the world: The people who naturally excel at life. And the people who hope all those people die in a big explosion.”
I was intrigued with The Edge of Seventeen ever since the trailer randomly popped up on a trailer Youtube channel. I thought it looked like an interesting story with heart, and definitely had a great message behind it, so it was immediately on my radar. After watching it, I also determined that it would be a great addition to my blog in the form of an inspirational movie monday.
The Edge of Seventeen is a Comedy and Drama film about High-schoo life getting even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.
The film is written and directed by Kelly Fermon Craig. Her other writing credits include Post Grad (2009). This was Craig’s directorial debut. I thought she did a great job with this film. She set out to tell this beautiful coming of age story about this young girl Nadine and I think she really captured it nicely. Her script had moments of heartbreak but also had moments of comedy. She could write a very serious scene but be able to slip a clever one liner or quip in there. I also think she did a great job getting great performances out of her actors. The film did nothing over-the-top and it was simple, but the simplicity worked cry much in its favour.
The film stars Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine, Blake Jenner as Darian, Kyra Sedgwick as Mona and Woody Harrelson as Mr. Bruner.
Hailee Steinfeld’s filmography consists of True Grit (2010), and Pitch Perfect 2 (2015). I thought Hailee Steinfeld was fantastic in Pitch Perfect 2, I don’t however remember her role in True Grit (I should probably revisit that film soon). In Pitch Perfect 2, you really saw her dive into her role, she could sing and dance. She had great comedic wit and timing. It was a great way to introduce the world to her, but I think her best role so far was in Edge of Seventeen. She played a typical teenager, but not so typically. She had again great comedic timing but she could really stretch her drama side of her acting skill. I thought she balanced the two genres very well. It also didn’t come off as cliche, like I could really side with her character and even see myself in her shoes, which is why I wanted to consider it was an Inspirational Movie Monday. She was definitely the perfect casting for this role, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Nadine.
Blake Jenner’s filmography consists of Everybody Wants Some (2016). Considering that I’ve only seen one other film that Jenner has been in, I really like his acting. I think I preferred him in Everybody Wants Some, but he was also the main character in that so he got a lot more screen time. I thought he did do a great job in The Edge of Seventeen though. I thought he had great chemistry with Hailee Steinfeld, which was definitely necessary, considering they were supposed to play brother and sister. They played off each other and their roles really well.
Kyra Sedgwick’s filmography consists of Door to Door (2002), Gamer (2009), Man On A Ledge (2012), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series – 2013 -). It was weird to see Sedgwick in this role, as the last role I really remember her in was Brooklyn Nine-Nine where she played this quick, quirky, rude police commissioner that wouldn’t take crap from anyone. In The Edge of Seventeen however, she plays this depressed mother, who isn’t quite sure of herself, who questions everything she does about her daughter and her son. It was a nice change of pace from what I was used to her being in shows I’ve seen. I also thought she had great chemistry with both Steinfeld and Jenner in this movie. They were able to bring out two completely different sides of her.
Woody Harrelson’s filmography consists of Natural Born Killers (1994), Anger Management (2003), A Scanner Darkly (2006), No Country For Old Men (2007), Seven Pounds (2008), Zombieland (2009), 2012 (2009), Friends With Benefits (2011), Seven Psychopaths (2012), Out Of The Furnace (2013), Now You See Me (2013), and Triple 9 (2016). Woody Harrelson is always a great actor to watch, he can play these really creepy characters, be in these really great comedies where he plays unforgettable characters, and he can be in dramatic roles where he is able to mix all of his gifts together to create some super role for himself. I thought he did an excellent job playing Mr. Bruner in this movie, he was extremely sarcastic, and sometimes rude. But other times you could see his heart on his sleeve and he would help when he could. There were times where I didn’t like his character but then as the film progressed I really liked his character, he had a great turn and I think this is easily one of my favourite roles he’s done lately.
This movie inspires me, which is interesting because its not just about this girls life and the situations that occur, but its about life in general. Its about love, loss, relationships, family, and struggling throughout life. Its a story that is highly relatable too, no matter what is going on in your life, where you can latch on to one emotion that the characters are feeling and apply it to your own life. It’s about finding your place in this busy world, where you can be happy and just live. This is a struggle that I have every other day as I don’t know what I want to do with my life, where I struggle to find my place in the world. This struggle has affected some of my relationships with people and has affected my life differently each day. This movie inspired me to just live, to try not to worry about that type of stuff all the time and just enjoy life, enjoy who I am because theres only one of me and theres only one life to live. It inspired me to follow my heart and my dreams. I feel like any emotion that you’re going through you can relate to this movie in a different way. And even if you just want a good movie to watch, then this is definitely one I can recommend. This is a movie about life and events in life that you have experienced yourself, are going through or you’re going to experience eventually.
The Edge Of Seventeen gets a 4.5/5 from me. I can’t wait to add this film to my collection and to share it with everyone I can.
Until Next Time, Stay Inspired!
-Andrew