Monday, March 13, 2017

Edge of Seventeen

Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Hayden Szeto, Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick
Rating: 9 out of 10, Looking from the outside you’d think this was another in the long line of teen coming of age dramedies which rely heavily on typecasting and formulaic, angst ridden plots. This was so much more. It felt very true, especially with the teen relationships, whether sister-brother or friends. It was also incredibly funny with each actor allowed her/his space without going over the top. Hailee Steinfeld continues her remarkable young career as the lead actress. She plays a self-centered brat who somehow comes across as truly likable. I’m still trying to figure out how she carried that off. Blake Jenner followed up his lead turn in Everybody Wants Some as the older, seemingly perfect older brother but again, with some true depth. My favorite supporting actor however was Hayden Szeto, as the bumbling nervous schoolmate who worships Steinfeld only to be blissfully ignored (been there, done that during my own high school years). I guess that’s what I really liked about the movie. I think everyone will be able to pick out a situation that resonates with them from their own experience. It wasn’t a caricature and it didn’t have to be to be funny and poignant.

MVP: Steinfeld as the precociously blessed Nadine

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