Alien at the Movies

The Edge of Seventeen

It's "Sixteen Candles" with an extra flame & "The Breakfast Club" with just one student in this modern day coming of age story. Nadine (Hailee Steinfield) is a socially awkward teen who has always had a hard time fitting in. Her mom Mona (Kyra Sedwick) is ineffective. Nadine has a sibling rivalry with her perfect older brother Darian. Since the second grade, Krista is her only close friend. She uses her history teacher Mr Bruner (Woody Harrelson) as a sounding board to vent about her troubles. Witty dialogue, awkward situations, & Steinfield's personality drive this a funny & bittersweet story about a naive young girl struggling with relationships. She feels different, alone, and abandoned. It is the classic teenage angst that begs "why doesn't the world revolve around me?" This film is rated "R" for language, drinking, and sexual content.

Alien gives it 3 "embarrassing email" stars out of 4.