The World Doesn't Revolve Around You : The Edge Of Seventeen Movie Review
- Clare Batac
- Sep 14, 2017
- 5 min read
**Spoiler alert! And by spoiler, I mean with pictures and stuff because why not?**
Not to confuse with the 1998 film of the same movie title and genre (which is actually good by the way), The Edge Of Seventeen is a 2016 coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. It revolves around the teenage girl named Nadine who has a rough time right after her best friend and her brother hooked up.
I don't wanna bore you guys by narrating the plot of this film so here's the link to film's wiki plot. Indulge yourself.
Now moving on to my review...
Ha! The opening scene shows a suicidal girl seeking for help from her male teacher. Sounds familiar?
I swear I was praying during the whole scene to not make this another 13 Reasons Why shit.
Well, it wasn't so... yay.
A (not so) quick flashback shows us that Nadine is insecure since she was little and it didn't help growing up with a brother who is an over-achiever and mom's favorite child, now making him her rival...sort of.
The only people who are keeping her together are her dear father and her best friend, Krista whom she met at her school full bullies (of course).
First note: Were these kids actually playing with that hairy caterpillar (higad) because ew, that's helluva itchy creature, I tell you.
Nadine's character is so self-absorbed. She thinks the world revolves around her. She keeps on pointing fingers whenever shit happens to her instead of owning it up.
She becomes this toxic friend just because Krista and Darian (her brother) started dating. I mean I get that she is threatened by their relationship since Krista is her only friend and Darian basically grew up being her "rival" sibling and socially successful hunk.
I know that awful feeling when your friend is like being snatched from you by the new world she's about to enter but who is Nadine to act like she owns Krista? Krista doesn't owe her, nor is the world.
Nadine's character is so bad which is a great potential for a character arc, and Hailee Steinfeld portrays it very well.
Since Nadine's father died, right before her eyes, her teacher Mr. Bruner, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, acted as a father figure as the film goes on. It started rough, a typical teacher-teenage student relationship, but it turned really well when Nadine started seeking his company when she decides to go off the grid.
I like Mr. Bruner's dark humor in this film. I'm not even sure what adjective to justify Woody Harrelson's acting, it's just that great...as usual.
Erwin is Nadine's seatmate in her History class. He's the typical cute, nice guy in the film that has a high probability of being in the friend zone by the female protagonist.
Erwin's making his moves to Nadine but she keeps on brushing him off because of this senior guy named Nick, the apple of her eye. Erwin is gauging every situation to make a move to Nadine but of course, it's always a bad timing.
I like the revelation that behind this shy, awkward guy facade is a witty, rich ass who's into animation and filmmaking.
Erwin is currently working on this animation project to be shown at their school's film festival which he invited Nadine to go to.
Erwin's backstory was told briefly, yet enough to make an impact. A lonely teenage boy whose art becomes his companion as he lives in solitude. Well-played.
Despite Erwin's effort to win Nadine's heart, she still fixated with this senior boy-next-door Nick whom she met once.
Not a single genuine fuck was given to Nadine by this dickhead, well was almost given (pun intended) when Nadine accidentally sent this sexually explicit message to Nick which leads us to the opening scene of her in quest of Mr. Bruner's advice while she plans her suicide mission.
During Nadine's break, as Mr. Bruner's suggested right after reading the obscene message, she receives a text message from Nick, clearly acknowledging the fact that she is DTF, as he thought. We all know what happened next, don't we?
I was like I swear to all existing gods that if you, Nadine, ditch Erwin just to get lucky with this dimwit, I'll curse this film to death!!!
Awww c'mon, look at that kilig face!!!
Anyway...
Stoked, Nadine thought it was her chance to really get to know the love of her life. She dolled herself up, which leaves their house in total mayhem. She carries her heart on her sleeve as she tries really hard to meet halfway with Nick whose only interest is to get into her pants.
Such a romantic scene where he planned to do it inside the car behind a sketchy dumpster.
Alexander Calvert's portrayal of Nick's character doesn't beat around the bush. It's straight to the point showcase of being a 21st century fuck boy, which is good. Nadine's naive heart crushes as Nick, the perfect guy her mind curated, says terrible things to her. This particular scene is so realistic. Nadine is obviously innocent when it comes to these kinds of things. For her, this was her shot; to have a "proper" date with the person she likes the most.
Simultaneous to Nadine-Nick almost boning, Nadine's dramatic mother, Mona, freaks out when she sees the Nadine post-"DTF" makeover's surviving trace. Of course, the ever beloved son, Darian, is to the rescue and leaves to find Nadine.
Nadine calls Mr. Bruner to pick her up. He drives her to his home where they played with his son while waiting for his brother. When Darian arrives, it ignites a fight between the two of them.
This scene reveals that Darian is not just a typical older brother who picks on his younger sister as I thought he was. He's acting as the sane one since their father died. He secretly sacrifices things to hold his erratic family together. He also points out how Krista is the only one who makes him so happy, yet that one is even a problem. This shows the contrast of Darian and Nadine's attitude. It emphasizes how childish Nadine has been the entire time.
So fed up with his sister's temperament, Darian leaves Nadine with Mr. Bruner. Mr. Bruner drives Nadine safely home.
Nadine makes amends with his brother, confessing how jealous she has been to him. The feud between the two ended with a tender hug for the first time.
The morning after, Nadine was welcomed by Darian and Krista as she prepares for the film festival.
During the film showing, Nadine understood the metaphor of Edwin's animation about the alien girl who rejected an alien boy.
Nadine approaches Edwin after the film showing and was introduced to his colleagues, finally opening up to others.
Such a predictable film but it was done so well you'll still love it anyway. I kept on guessing what's happening next the entire film and I was right most of the time, yet it didn't annoy me at all. This kind of stuff happens in real life, especially to the younger folks of this generation. I even found some scenes too familiar it scares me, and I'm not even a teenager anymore, lol!
I'll give this film 3 out of 5 stars. :) Now go and watch it again as if you don't know the plot yet!
Originally posted on Niume, September 14, 2017
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