'The Edge of Seventeen,' is biting teen dramedy

The classic American high school of cinematic imagination probably bears little resemblance to most teenagers' experiences. For some, the only difference may be the suspicious amounts of free time the students seem to have, while for others the suburban and overwhelmingly white campuses might as well be Narnia. Why, then, is “The Edge of Seventeen," released on Nov. 18, so familiar and relatable? It’s set in one of those film fantasylands beloved by filmmaker John Hughes and so many others, but like the best of the genre, it doesn’t desperately try to dodge stereotypes and standard tropes. Instead, writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig deploys these stereotypes to great effect and does not let them go unexamined.

The film’s protagonist is Lakewood High junior and misfit Nadine Byrd (Hailee Steinfeld), who might be charitably described as a handful. While she believes her misanthropy stems from her self-proclaimed old soul, her teacher and reluctant confidant Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) wryly points out that maybe it’s just because nobody likes her. She does have one friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), who’s been with Nadine through thick and thin. As the two laugh, confide in one another and have a drunken night in, their friendship is eminently believable in the early stages of the film.

Of course, this bond can’t go untested, and tested it is when Krista hooks up with Nadine’s golden boy older brother, Darien (Blake Jenner).Distraught, Nadine issues an ultimatum to Krista: her or Darien. Following the Bush Doctrine of relationships, she takes Krista’s refusal to choose as the end of their friendship. Her only tether severed, Nadine is cast adrift. Her single mother, Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), has enough problems of her own, Nadine-generated or otherwise, to anchor her. Nadine resorts to having lunch with Mr. Bruner, who does not give her much advice and rather places his tongue firmly in his cheek and informs her that not everything is about her.

Still, without Krista to shoot down her worst ideas, Nadine quickly begins making bad decisions. Craig beautifully captures that harmony of teenage angst and narcissism as the seemingly-small problems of being a teenager mean the world to Nadine. Viewers who think Nadine is a bad person based on these decisions might need to take a closer look at their adolescent years. Like “Boyhood” (2014), “The Edge of Seventeen” is pitch perfect when it comes to recreating universal moments and feelings like the heady pause before a kiss, the trepidation of approaching someone you like and the instant regret of sending a message that had no business being sent.

Even in the few moments when Craig’s script falters, Steinfeld’s performance manages to keep the viewer invested, though the same can’t be said for Jenner or Lu Richardson. Once separated from Nadine, their dialogue loses much of its natural feel, and neither actor is able to salvage those moments. Jenner can’t seem to break out of the friendly charm that worked so well in Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016) but is frequently out of place here. But Steinfeld and Hayden Szeto, who plays Nadine's classmate Erwin, are stellar. Erwin has a crush on Nadine and is both frustratingly and hilariously awkward in pursuing it. His attempts to woo her are like a worst-of compilation of every mistake that can be made, and Szeto somehow makes it possible to believe that there could be someone both so inept and so adorable.

That this is Craig’s directorial debut occasionally shows through in a handful of odd shot transitions and seemingly-staged scenes, but this is a film where it’s really the thought that counts. Craig communicates universal experiences through the decidedly non-universal lens of a movie version of an American high school, and casting director Melissa Kostenbauder made a fantastic choice in Steinfeld. Unlike most actors playing high schoolers, Steinfeld is actually the right age, having been 18 during filming, which took place last year. Her combination of talent and temporal proximity to the material make for an excellent performance, that expertly blends teenage nervousness, hormonality and dramatics.