Hailee Steinfeld Wins Hearts in Hilariously Awkward ‘The Edge of Seventeen’

Allyson Gronowitz

Authentically quirky teen dramedies are hard to come by, but wunderkind writer-director-producer Kelly Fremon Craig delivers a refreshing take on the tragic hilarity of high school with “The Edge of Seventeen.” Hailee Steinfeld is a revelation as Nadine, an awkward but intelligent 17-year-old attempting to navigate the minefield of growing up. Like ‘07’s “Juno” and “The Breakfast Club” before that, “The Edge of Seventeen” offers a piercingly intimate look inside the teenage soul with which we can all empathize.

Nadine calls herself an “old soul,” and it is that feeling of being out of sync with her fellow millennials that makes it nearly impossible to fit in at school. To make matters worse, her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner of “Glee”) is her polar opposite: personable, attractive and universally adored. Nadine sums up her relationship with her brother at the beginning of the film, laying out the two types of people in the world: “The people who radiate confidence and naturally excel at life, and the people who hope all those people die in a big explosion.”

Nadine reveals that, growing up, she never connected with her cheery brother or her well-meaning but self-absorbed mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick). But she found solace with her gentle father (Eric Keenleyside), chowing down cheeseburgers while rocking out to Billy Joel with him in the car. Their bliss is short-lived, as Nadine’s father dies and leaves her alone, confused and depressed – but not without her cutting sense of humor. Her wit is most effectively wielded against history teacher Mr. Bruner, played by a deliciously deadpan Woody Harrelson, whose insensitive interactions with Nadine would be disturbing if they weren’t so hilarious. When Nadine tries to use her dad’s years-ago death as an excuse for not having done her homework the night before, Mr. Bruner blandly asks for his “date of passing” and regretfully informs her that he allows for a one-year grace period “for the dead and dying”. But don’t worry, he informs her: there are always grandparents.

At least Nadine has Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), her best and only friend since age 7, to take the edge off. After a night of spirited drinking, Nadine pukes into the toilet with Krista dutifully holding back her hair. “Why do you even like me?” Nadine groans. “I don’t even like me.” Throughout the film, Nadine’s self-hatred feels hauntingly familiar. Yet the film never loses its humor or heart, crafting situational comedy with a laugh-out-loud script.

When Krista falls for Nadine’s brother Darian, Nadine tumbles deeper into resentment and snark. As Nadine attempts to make her way on her own, she is courted by bumbling, pathologically shy Erwin (Hayden Szeto), a classmate who clearly has the hots for her, and also secretly has a six-pack, a mansion all to himself, and an impressive talent for illustration. The relatively unknown Szeto gives a performance so earnest and funny, you almost forget that he’s the picture-perfect embodiment of a rom-com cliché.

“The Edge of Seventeen” really does feel like the younger half-sister to “Juno,” but the comparisons are favorable – an endearingly candid, hoodie-wearing protagonist, a deadpan but ultimately kind-hearted father figure and a hip, slightly twee soundtrack. The conventional ending isn’t quite in keeping with the overall tone, but the movie is a heartfelt, wise-cracking work that feels real enough.

“The Edge of Seventeen” hits theaters nationwide on Nov. 18.