The Edge of Seventeen is a shining diamond buried amongst the romcom flops that have flooded Netflix recently, so it's safe to say I was disappointed to hear that it has fallen victim to the list of everything leaving Netflix in August 2024.
The best streaming service has become inundated with wishy-washy relationship comedies like A Family Affair and Find Me Falling. However, The Edge of Seventeen is one of the few comedies that not only has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, but also managed to re-inject life into the endangered genre that just doesn't quite hit like it did back in the good ol' days.
The Edge of Seventeen isn't a typical romcom though, it's a striking coming-of-age dramedy that resonates with both young and old audiences, even though it has some romance in it. But despite its high ratings, The Edge of Seventeen went rather unnoticed and didn't get the recognition it deserved like Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age movie Lady Bird did when it was released the following year.
Now with the movie leaving the streamer on August 31, there's no better time to watch one of the best Netflix movies (not for long) before it's gone.
Not just your average romcom
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, The Edge of Seventeen follows seventeen-year-old Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) who is trying to survive high school and the pitfalls of adolescence alongside her best friend Krista (Hayley Lu Richardson).
Nadine has a turbulent relationship with her popular older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) and her emotionally detached mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick) following the loss of her beloved father Tom. But soon enough, the only stable relationship in Nadine's life is thrown into chaos when Krista starts dating Darian and she's left feeling incredibly lonely.
What makes The Edge of Seventeen one of the most realistic coming-of-age movies is the resentment, rebellion, isolation and dark humor peppered throughout the story as Nadine grapples with her own insecurities. Although it's clear that Nadine is depressed and full of self hatred, the film doesn't display her as just being sad all the time, but instead she expresses her inner turmoil through a broad spectrum of emotions which often makes for some rather funny mishaps.
It's not all doom and gloom though – there's rom alongside the com as Nadine befriends fellow classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto), who has a crush on her and she realizes that it might not be the end of her world after all. I suppose it's also kind of a love story about friendship, as Nadine is heartbroken to think that she's lost the only person in her life that keeps her grounded.
With family grief, friendship feuds, and complicated romance, it's an accurate portrayal of youth that will have both teens and adults laughing and crying throughout the 104 minute runtime. All in all, The Edge of Seventeen is definitely an underrated movie that deserves to be seen by far more people – so catch it while you can on Netflix!
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