The movie, “The Edge of Seventeen” isn’t set to be released in theaters until November 18, but I recently had the opportunity to be involved in a private screening of the film, and you bet I took it. I have the inside scoop, and I’m here to let you in on all of the details. Well, maybe not all. We can’t have too many spoilers, can we?
Allow me to fill you in on the private movie viewing experience first before I dive into discussing the actual movie. I honestly had no idea regular people could privately screen a movie before it is released to theaters. Try being part of a private screening and not feeling like you're a grade-A celebrity in the VIP section of another celebrity’s party at a fancy-looking mansion. The experience feels pretty special.
It makes a lot of sense that regular people can privately screen a movie, though. There was a woman running the show, and it was her job after the movie to ask for everyone's feedback. Essentially, from what I can tell, private screenings are trial runs to see how people react to the movie.
I also thought it was interesting that there were no previews before the viewing. I have mixed emotions on this because I love previews, but not having them is also great because you get to start the movie right away (the main reason you went to the theater in the first place).
Now, it's time for what you’ve all been waiting for: the lowdown on this movie.
“The Edge of Seventeen” stars Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine, an awkward high school junior with an all-star older brother named Darian. There’s a bit of bad blood between the two because they’re on different ends of high school social status, so to speak. High school life is hard for Nadine and becomes even more unbearable when her best and only friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.
I had no idea the movie was rated R based on the trailer I saw beforehand, although that makes sense because it’s a trailer, so the parts that make it rated that way can’t really be shown. I found out it was rated R right before the film, and I can definitely see why. Some aspects of the movie were just so odd and unexpected. Early on in the film, there was a flashback to when Nadine was young and got bullied on a playground. In the flashback, little girls pushed her to the ground and told her that no one liked her and that she was going to get AIDS. Like, what? That is a horrible thing to come out of a child’s mouth. I think a decent amount of people in the audience were a bit taken aback by that comment.
I think the main message of the movie came from Nadine’s mother, who happens to be kind of a basket case. She told Nadine that everyone has it just as hard as she does, but some people are better at putting on a happy face than others. Darian's life seems perfect throughout the film, but he’s just better at hiding his pain than Nadine is at hiding hers.
The message goes along with the saying that everything isn't always the way that it seems. Nadine’s teacher, played by Woody Harrelson, seems pretty careless, but we eventually find out he low-key cares about Nadine and he has a wife and baby.
*Movie ending spoiler alert*
The movie ended a bit abruptly. Nadine makes up with her brother, and then the next morning she’s almost transformed into a new, happy person. And, she and her budding love interest don’t even kiss at the end! If the movie is going to stick with the cliché story about a friend falling in love with her friend’s brother, then it has to keep up with the rest of the clichés. Come on.
Overall, I would recommend seeing the movie. Would I have paid to see it? Probably not. Would I desire to watch it the way I crave watching Harry Potter? Probably not. But, I do think it was a good, hilarious movie. It will make you appreciate the fact that you’re not in high school anymore. So, cheers to that!