First, the Recap:
Ah the totally enriching splendor of being a teenager. Desperate to believe that she has any true sense of being desired or the slightest inkling of self-respect, struggling high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) tries to seek solace via her only friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). However, tenuous relationships with her single mother, Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), plus her all-star brother Darian (Blake Jenner) only grow more challenging when Nadine discovers Krista and Darian are dating. Finding herself even more alone, Nadine reaches out to a teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) for advice, usually not getting what she wants to hear, yet needs to. Resistant to a fault, though, Nadine pushes away all those who would help her, thinking she only knows best how things are supposed to work out. Only the unforeseen friendship with a classmate, Erwin (Hayden Szeto), begins to change her life course.
Worth Seeing: Yes and No
Writer/director/producer Kelly Fremon Craig’s exploration of seriously raw teen angst and the ramifications of initially disastrous choices is not a light-hearted undertaking despite the periodic moments of humor thrown in and a finale that at least gives some semblance of hope for Nadine’s character. Still, the film was too cynical and crude in overall content for this reviewer’s personal tastes. The onslaught of language, harsh thematic elements, sexualized sequences, and just overall tone really grates on the nerves after a spell.
Performances here are admittedly excellent, as Steinfeld is turning out to be one of the true rising character actor stars of a new generation. Harrelson is always a trip, veteran Sedgwick does well as a beleaguered single parent, Jenner is smooth yet sensitive as Nadine’s “got it all together” brother Darian, Richardson is the longsuffering best friend to Nadine, and Szeto actually provides the most positive character involved. So, while great acting is present, the viewer just needs to be prepared to not have a feel-good journey for the majority of the time.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
