The Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 27, 2017

The Edge of Seventeen probably could have been titled Dear Diary. For anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to be a teenage girl in 2016, Director Kelly Fremon Craig's debut picture does a pretty good job of hitting all of the highlights. Craig, who previously wrote Post Grad and also wrote this screenplay, crafts a modern, cutting-edge story of contemporary young adulthood, moving from adolescent anger to pimples to boys. Rifts form between friends, awkward moments sprouting from everyday occurrences are commonplace, and fights with family are all regular...it's essentially the teenage years condensed into 100-some minutes. The movie plays well. Craig knows her characters and the world they inhabit, understanding what makes a teenager a teenager at the immutable core while exploring how it's shaped by the modern world. It's good stuff, not too racy or edgy, very sincere about what it means to be on the verge of adulthood and what it's like while wading through life's minefield. But, more than likely, whatever doesn't kill her will only make her stronger in the end.

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is suicidal. Sort of. Since her best friend -- her father -- passed away, her life's been crumbling around her. She's reached that delicate age where everything jumbles together, everything is stressful, and everything seems to spell life or death. Her friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), the only real friend she has, sticks close to her side, but everything changes when Nadine catches Krista in bed with her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner). Nadine breaks off the friendship, leaving her in an awkward spot, unable to confide in her friend or effectively deal with her brother. She's long been semi-estranged from her mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), too, leaving only one of her teachers, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), as someone in whom she can confide. As she struggles with a broken family, a rotted friendship, and hormones, she befriends a boy named Erwin (Hayden Szeto) who has had his eye on her for some time.

What makes The Edge of Seventeen work is that it doesn't degrade its character or make her some sort of mockery or paper-thin caricature of the contemporary teenager. Nadine is a fully developed character, some of that development coming in lightning-quick fashion, necessarily so to move the story forward, but she's real, a flawed character (anyone who isn't can't be a serious movie protagonist), someone in search of life's meaning through a number of different outlets. She's driven by emotions and hormones but she's also driven by an honest search for purpose, friendship, and real feelings and not just the emptiness that life so often promotes, particularly in her day-and-age. Gradually, it all comes together, it all starts making sense. Fights with her mother and brother, losing her best friend, learning more from her teacher about the way the world works than she does whatever the classroom textbooks have to offer: her world gradually comes into focus, though as they say it's always darkest before the dawn, and for Nadine "the edge of seventeen" is a dark place to be for much of the film.

The movie benefits from several quality performances, including, no surprise, Hailee Steinfeld in the lead. Her embodiment of the character is impressive, but more so is the depth she finds as Nadine struggles through life's challenges, intimate and broad, those driven by emotions, hormones, whatever. She sorts out a fairly complex lead character and not only understands, but also embraces, the teenage quirks, flights of fancy, disturbances, break-downs, and all of the frenzied character bits that make her into a interestingly complex, if not in many ways rather prototypical, character. Steinfeld runs with the notion that she's really playing the modern every-girl and gives the character a thoughtful performance whether muscling through hardship or working to show the nuance of who she was, is, and may become if she can get through what might be the most challenging years of her life. Opposite her is Woody Harrelson in a seemingly low-key and small role but playing the biggest impact in Nadine's life, particularly as the character becomes more fleshed out in the final act. His is brilliant work, subtle and understanding of the movie's direction and how his character fits into the greater whole.

The Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally photographed The Edge of Seventeen arrives on Blu-ray with a mostly proficient but never exemplary 1080p transfer. The source is home to plenty of noise, rising to unsightly levels at several junctures throughout, predominantly in lower-light scenes. Detailing satisfies but isn't breathtaking. Facial features are fine, revealing basic pores, pimples, moles, wrinkles, and other general elements with satisfying clarity. Clothes are likewise adequately defined, revealing the basic fabric qualities with ease. Environments are sharp, particularly various decorations around Mr. Bruner's classroom or in Nadine's bedroom. Colors are enjoyably neutral, sufficiently punchy and well saturated. Clothes are the standout, and some brighter colors on attire and illuminated booths and rides stand apart nicely against the nighttime darkness at a carnival. Those blacks are impressively deep and true, never gravitating to crush or undesirable paleness. Flesh tones present with no discernible issues. Compression artifacts are minimal. Though besieged by noise, the image holds its own, doesn't stand apart from the crowd, but satisfies the movie's needs and the format's abilities.

The Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Edge of Seventeen's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack serves the movie well. It's not exactly a movie with an epic sort of dizzying sound presentation, but the track carries its needs well enough. Music is rich and robust, enjoying an aggressive, but very well balanced, surround envelopment. The additional rear channels help to better saturate the stage and offer a more precise sense of wrap around the listener. Instruments and lyrics are well defined, the latter remaining grounded up front, while low end depth satisfies as a critical part of the musical presentation. Various environments come to life with well defined atmospherics. Light chatter and clatter in a restaurant draw the listener into the locale. A party enjoys significant musical presence and low end thump across the background. A backyard pool waterfall, din at an amusement park, and other support elements are finely integrated into the track with impressive, lifelike clarity leading the way. Dialogue is clear and detailed, positively grounded in the center and well prioritized above any and all competing elements.

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

The Edge of Seventeen contains a gag reel and deleted scenes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:21).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:03 total runtime): Nadine Asleep in Mr. Bruner's Classroom, Mona's Interior Monologue, and Nadine Needs the Bathroom Key.

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

The Edge of Seventeen probably won't be remembered as one of the quintessential "teenage years" films like those 80s classics from the likes of John Hughes, but it's a solid effort and a movie that's both fun and insightful. It's well-acted, sincere, agreeable...a good film all-around. Universal's Blu-ray is sadly lacking anything resembling meaty special content. An audio commentary track would have rounded this into a slightly more desirable package, but video is decent and audio is fine. Even as-is the release comes recommended.