It’s the most relatable movie that I’ve ever seen. If you’ve ever felt awkward, uncomfortable or like the world is working against you, you’ll relate to The Edge of Seventeen.
Sure, it’s a teen angst movie. But don’t dismiss it as being the same as every other teen film you’ve seen. This one gets it right. Starting with the inappropriate language we all use and yet fail to see in almost every teen movie. Nadine, the lead, is seventeen but she swears like we all did (and do). The film lets her speak honestly, like a teen.
The characters are oh so relatable. From awkward and adorable Edwin, to Nadine’s mom who treats herself by getting all dressed up and then going to bed, I identified with every character on screen. In fact, I couldn’t stop laughing at how similar my problems and quirks were to theirs.
They’re also treated as realistic people, in every way. It’s absurd the number of teen movies that avoid talking about sex. If they do discuss it, it seems to be the focus of the entire movie. Instead, The Edge of Seventeen portrayed a reality: sex exists in the minds of teens, but it’s not everything. While the movie portrayed a more accurate representation about how teens talk about sex it didn’t primarily focus on this, giving us more well-rounded characters.
Don’t think that this meant that the movie didn’t deal with some very real issues. Nadine is going through a tough time and feels like the world is out to get her (haven’t we all felt this way?). In fact, at the height of the climax I couldn’t stop crying because I related so closely to the way that she felt.
The film deals with serious and trivial aspects of being young, not just a teen. From realizing the guy you like really isn’t all that great (we’ve all been there), to dealing with death and loss. It creates a reality where we all struggle and have difficult things to deal with, but this doesn’t mean we can’t be there for one another.
Just like that, I moved from laughing until I cried, to outright crying, to laughing again. To me this is the sign of an excellent film. We need more honest, hilarious and moving movies just like this one.