Reviewing "The Edge of Seventeen": A sincere, funny drama-comedy about what it means to grow up.

The Edge Of Seventeen is a 2016 comedy-drama film starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, and Kyra Sedgwick. The film focuses on troubled seventeen-year-old teenager Nadine (Steinfeld) as she grapples with the growing relationship between her best friend Krista and her brother Darian, dealing with the fears of her friend "abandoning" her for her brother and navigating through the lingering trauma of her father's death.

The film shows an honest, raw examination of what it means to truly grow up. Throughout the entire film, Nadine presents a sarcastic facade to everyone and behaves in rather self-centered ways. We can understand that she is likely still reeling from the death of her father, and her mother is distant, while her brother is too wrapped up in shouldering responsibility in domestic life to really put up with her.

Everyone gave great performances, especially Hailee Steinfeld, almost effortlessly juggling the shifts between her snarky exterior and her more vulnerable moments of genuine honesty. Her excellent portrayal of Nadine is a fairly selfish and emotionally-stunted teenager who is still very sympathetic despite her behavior. Woody Harrelson plays gruff yet well-meaning teacher who gives good advice to Nadine throughout the film, while Kyra Sedgwick plays Nadine's mother Mona, a chronic worrier who nevertheless cannot quite get her daughter to open up, especially since Nadine was closer to her father before his sudden death.

The characters are very believable. Nadine's impulsiveness clearly a huge personal flaw, as is her inability to move on from her past. However, it is a flaw many of us can relate to, and Steinfeld's performance endears the audience to her character quickly in spite of her flaws and the consequences of her actions and decisions. Mona's overprotectiveness and overly-worried demeanor may be off-putting, but it is a feeling many people know all too well, especially when we have known a personal loss like Mona had. Lastly, Darian seems like a typical aloof jerk older brother character, but the film gradually shows how he has become worn down by his growing responsibilities at home, and while Nadine sees his relationship with Krista as a personal betrayal on Darian and Krista's parts since she feels as though she is losing Krista as a friend, it is clear that Darian's close relationship with Krista serves as a brief respite for the burdens he has to shoulder.

The humor is also excellent, giving some light-heartedness to counterbalance the sad events of Nadine's life that she is unable to get over as her flaws get the better of her. The funny moments never feel out of place, but rather enhance the drama and helps to further ground the story, reminding us that the events in Nadine's life could happen to anyone, but we shouldn't close ourselves off from others because of trauma.

All in all, The Edge of Seventeen is well-acted with believable characters and deeply resonant themes. Perhaps nothing groundbreaking, but certainly a film crafted with love and heart, and maybe that's what we all need.

Score: 8/10