Kelly Freemon Craig's coming-of-age comedy, "The Edge of Seventeen," is this year's breakout hit; even earning Hailee Steinfeld a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the misfit teenage protagonist, Nadine Franklin. The movie is being hailed as the Breakfast Club of the "selfie generation," and has garnered critical acclaim for the accurate portrayal of a teenager's journey through adolescence and the struggles of fitting in within high school. The movie is laugh-out-loud hilarious with comedic charm demonstrated by both Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson (who plays the high school history teacher) and manages to tell a story that can be relatable to everyone and I mean everyone. Who can forget those good old high school days? I sure can't (as much as I try). Even though the movie has received an R-rating for "sexual content, language, and some drinking - all involving teens," I believe teenagers are the ones who need to see this movie the most. After watching this film, I found myself wishing that this kind of movie was made while I was attending high school because it would have given me some guidance on how to deal with everyday high school problems. *Minor spoilers ahead*
In the movie, Hailee Steinfeld's character, Nadine (a 17-year-old high schooler), hates her life after being constantly compared to her more successful older brother, Darian. Finding solace in only her best friend, Krista, and her history teacher, Mr. Bruner, Nadine tries to juggle the typical struggles of being in high school with her problems at home. However, Nadine's world becomes crazier when she discovers that Krista has begun a relationship with Darian (whom Nadine holds a huge grudge against).
The movie is great because it can be related by all viewers since everyone has experienced the "hardships" of high school. We have all embarrassed ourselves in front of our first crush or have lost a best friend over some minor disagreement. At the time, we thought these problems were catastrophic, end-of-the-world moments in our lives (just like Nadine), but as we grow older and more mature, we can look back at these instances and find humor in everything. Nadine tends to blow everything way out of proportion (as I am sure all of us had at one point in our life), but she comes to realize that by worrying about all the little things she didn't have, she completely took for granted the things in her life that are priceless (like the many people who truly care about her). She is so caught up in her own drama that she is completely oblivious to the problems others in her life are facing—they are just better at hiding it.
Furthermore, "The Edge of Seventeen" teaches us that high school drama shouldn't matter because they really are on the small scale of things as we get older and have more experiences. What we thought were humongous problems in high school are just grains of sand compared to the desert storm of issues we face as we grow into adults. Yes, it sucks but it is the truth and is just the process of growing up. All these life lessons that Nadine learns in "The Edge of Seventeen" are really useful to the teenagers growing up in this "selfie generation;" it demonstrates that one should not be selfish in thinking their problems are the only problems out there. There are greater issues facing the world today that reduce general teenage problems into minuscule worries.
So if you are a parent reading this, take your teenager to the theater to see this movie. You might even get a lot of belly laughs from it too! And to the teenagers, convince your parents that they should look past the R-rating because the movie contains many life lessons to be learned. As for the rest of you readers, you should just go see "The Edge of Seventeen" if you want to experience two hours of non-stop laughter and a relatable, heartwarming story. It definitely will not disappoint.
