As long as teenagers exist, we’ll get movies about their trials and tribulations. In that vein comes 2016’s The Edge of Seventeen, a tale that introduces us to Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld), a high school student none too happy with her life.

Indeed, as the film starts, Nadine informs history teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) that she intends to commit suicide. What brought Nadine to such a dismal state? Her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) starts to date Nadine’s older brother Darian (Blake Jenner).

Of course, Nadine doesn’t kill herself – it’d be a short movie if she did – but she struggles to work through this change in her life. We follow Nadine’s path to greater contentment.

Whether intentionally or not, I thought the trailers for Edge gave the movie a decided Juno feel. While movies about teen angst go back decades, Juno gave the genre a more biting feel than usual, and that’s the tone I inferred from Edge.

While I wouldn’t call Edge a knock-off of Juno, I do think that some of its cynical, cutting tone carries over to it – and I see that as a positive thing. How can I dislike a movie in which a teacher mocks a student’s suicidal declarations within the flick’s first few minutes?

Edge tends toward a more serious feel than Juno, though, and lacks the earlier film’s consistent zing. Indeed, after the dark comedy of the opening, most of the movie opts for a more dramatic tone – we get occasional laughs along the way, but the project takes on a less jokey vibe than the beginning implies.

In theory, that’s fine, but in execution, I’m not sure it works, as the film feels fresher when it opts for irreverence. The opening fares pretty well, and flashbacks to younger Nadine give us entertainment, but once the movie kills off her dad – which it does early - it prefers melodrama.

Boy, does Edge like to go down that path! While it tosses in enough humor to slightly undercut some of its overwrought tendencies, I still feel like it embraces those elements too strongly.

I’m glad the film opted for more than just barbs and jokes, but I think Edge could’ve struck a tone somewhere between the two poles. The dramatic elements can become too dominant and make the movie feel over the top at times.

I can’t help but feel someone less attractive than Steinfeld should play Nadine. Not that good-looking people can’t feel unliked and unappealing, but I don’t get the impression we’re supposed to view Nadine’s low self-esteem solely through her own distorted lens.

No – instead, I think Edge aspires to paint someone who falls on the naturally dorky/”unhot” side of the coin, and that’s not Steinfeld. She’s an attractive young woman, so because much of the film relies on the audience’s view of Nadine as nerdy and unappealing, it struggles.

Heck, Edge barely even attempts to “frump up” Nadine. Sure, she picks some semi-quirky sartorial options, but these still make her look pretty good. We get little logical reason to see Nadine as unattractive, which makes it tough to suspend disbelief.

Edge does just enough to make it moderately involving, but I find it hard to endorse it as anything special. The movie follows the path of too many teen movies that came before it and it fails to stand out from that pack.

The Edge of Seventeen appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film came with a positive presentation.

Sharpness was usually very good. Only a smidgen of softness interfered with the occasional wide shot, so the vast majority of the flick looked accurate and well-defined. No issues with shimmering or jaggies occurred, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.

Colors veered toward teal at times but usually went with a more amber orientation. These choices seemed fine and came across well. Blacks were deep and firm while low-light shots appeared smooth and clear. The image seemed more than satisfactory.

Don’t expect a lot from the film’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack, as it went with a fairly low-key feel. This meant music became the most dominant factor, and even that side of the mix didn’t go crazy. The songs spread to the various channels at times and added a little life to the proceedings.

As for the effects, these stayed in the ambient realm most of the time. These elements used the various speakers in an adequate manner and not much more, as even “showy” scenes such as one at an amusement park lacked a lot of zing.

Audio quality was fine. Music sounded warm and full, while effects appeared accurate and distinctive. Speech came across as natural and clear. The soundtrack didn’t boast much involvement but it suited the film.

Only minor extras appear here, and we find a gag reel. It runs five minutes, 21 seconds and shows the usual array of goofs and giggles. It’s forgettable.

Three Deleted Scenes take up a total of four minutes, three seconds. We see “Nadine Asleep In Mr. Bruner’s Classroom” (1:57), “Mona’s Interior Monologue” (0:48) and “Nadine Needs a Bathroom Key” (1:18). These offer minor character and/or comedic bits but nothing substantial.

The disc opens with ads for The Space Between Us, The Bye Bye Man, Loving, Priceless, Nocturnal Animals, Frank & Lola, Bleed For This and A Monster Calls. No trailer for Edge appears here.

A second disc provides a DVD copy of Edge. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.

At times, The Edge of Seventeen boasts clever and witty moments that allow it to shine. However, it usually opts for a more standard form of teen melodrama that renders it as an average effort. The Blu-ray brings us very good picture along with adequate audio and minor supplements. Edge mostly entertains but doesn’t manage to excel.