Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 8, 2016

As much as “Edge of Seventeen” appears like a standard coming-of-age movie, it carries itself in a different, more dignified manner. Dealing with issues of identity and freedom, the picture uses its cheery 1984 setting to dig deeper into character concerns, with director David Moreton and screenwriter Todd Stephens taking their time with the emotional needs of the participants, working through moments of sexuality and shattered trust with unusual care. Although it has every opportunity to devolve into a screamy, pouty melodrama, “Edge of Seventeen” keeps itself together through fine performances and good taste, trying to make sense of a special conflict without torching the entire production. Its restraint is remarkable at times, investing in sensitivities instead of volume and cynicism.

The year is 1984, and in Sandusky, Ohio, 16-year-old Eric (Chris Stafford) is ready to enjoy his first summer of vehicular freedom, working a crummy food service job at a local amusement park alongside his best friend, Maggie (Tina Holmes). Longtime pals, the relationship between Eric and Maggie is complicated by the young woman’s interest in something more from the pairing, with the twosome tentatively exploring a romantic union. However, Eric is quietly dealing with his homosexuality, secretly attracted to flirty co-worker Rod (Andersen Gabrych). When Rod returns interest, Eric embarks on an odyssey of sexuality, learning the cruelties of being sincere while others only care for a physical relationship. While his loving Mom (Stephanie McVay) struggles to keep up with his evolving lifestyle, Eric’s life spins out of control, threatening to alienate Maggie as he tries to find himself during a tumultuous time.

Achieving a degree of realism seems to be the goal of 1998’s “Edge of Seventeen,” with Stephens writing from the heart as he creates Eric and his emotional obstacle course, using what initially appears to be a standard issue teenage development structure, ornamented with period touches including an impressively assembled pop and new wave soundtrack. Indeed, Eric’s crisis of the heart is familiar to fans of teen cinema, watching the young man struggle with his POV as he’s hit with a fresh wave of feelings and desires, clinging to the comfort of denial with Maggie, who’s also stuck in an adolescent holding pattern as her feelings for her friend are swatted away, often quite cruelly. If there’s anything “Edge of Seventeen” does exactly right, it’s a depiction of confusion and tentative acts of confession, finding Eric unable to go to Maggie or his mother with his sexuality, burning to share his confusion with anyone to help achieve soul-cleansing clarity.

Unfortunately, Eric’s first emotional outlet is Rod, a forward college boy who wants something specific from his co-worker, without the shackles of commitment. Their coupling thrills Eric, but it also rubs his naiveté raw, triggering a series of misadventures that find the teen navigating the dating scene at a local gay bar, encountering fast sex and easy dismissal when all he wants is sustained tenderness. “Edge of Seventeen” remains on this particular quandary for the bulk of the movie, observing Eric swing wildly to find stability, returning to Maggie out of habit, which ends up breaking her heart. While the feature is concentrated on sensuality and physical discoveries as Eric is explored by other men, it’s far more profound with intimacies, capturing the erosion of longstanding relationships and the development of a new identity for the lead character, who’s finding his own way in the most painful manner possible.

Keeping “Edge of Seventeen” compelling are the performances, with a largely tremendous cast capturing awkwardness, discomfort, and liberation with natural work. Stafford is credibly hesitant as Eric, playing the character with an honest sense of bewilderment and longing, enjoying effective chemistry with Holmes, whose depiction of vulnerability is heartbreaking, with Maggie suffering as she realizes how her natural match is beginning to use her to solve his problems. Stealing scenes is McVay as Eric’s Mom, hitting specific notes of love and powerlessness as her eldest child begins to lie to protect his secret life. She’s just lovely here, finding a different way to portray a disoriented guardian. Also appearing in a significant part is Lea DeLaria, who plays Eric’s kitchen boss and, eventually, his Gandalf as the teen is introduced to the ways of gay nightlife and hookups. If you enjoy DeLaria’s addiction to volume, there’s plenty of it on display here.

Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation does a satisfactory job bringing "Edge of Seventeen" to Blu-ray. Shot on 16mm, grain is retained throughout, delivering a nicely filmic viewing experience. Source is in good shape, without major points of damage. Detail reaches as far as it can go, offering pleasing facial close-ups and definition on room decoration, and textures are acceptable on costuming and wilder hairstyles. Colors are settled, looking appropriate, with bolder hues for period touches, and skintones remain natural. Delineation is comfortable, preserving evening encounters.

Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers an agreeable balance of music and drama, with soundtrack selections sounding fresh and atmospheric, delivering a warm pop mood to the film. The tunes also push out into the surrounds, but never aggressively for a largely frontal effort. Dialogue exchanges are defined to satisfaction, though much of the listening experience plays rather quietly. More festive locations, including bars and theme parks, handle the group dynamic well. Hiss is detected, but never distracting.

Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (47:11, HD) with director David Moreton and screenwriter Todd Stephens walks through "Edge of Seventeen" memories, including initial creative stages and reflection on the final effort. Topics range throughout, but rarely does the chat stray, and it's encouraging to find the pair still enthusiastic about their work.

• Deleted Scenes (26:03, SD) expand Eric's family life, giving more screentime to his parents. Fantasies are also explored, a few different approaches to the film's montages are displayed, and more make-up time with Eric and Maggie is presented.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:24, HD) is included.

Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Edge of Seventeen" is a deliberate picture, slowly inspecting Eric's journey from a shy kid to the early stages of a confident adult, and editorial tightness is generally lacking around the effort, which periodically loses pace to deal with superfluous storytelling. But some slightly draggy scenes don't hobble the movie, which is filled with so much detail (including the use of the band Bronski Beat as a symbol of sexual curiosity) and feeling, creating a three-dimensional portrait of Eric's expedition into maturation. The screenplay keeps up a mood of growth via a subplot where Eric is forced to choose between a local college and the liberation of New York University, but "Edge of Seventeen" is really at its best away from formula. When it treats the characters and the conflicts honestly, it reveals an emotional richness that's uncommon, capturing the authenticity of sexual exploration and the development of self-confidence, making sure the collateral damage of adolescence rings true.