Edge Of Seventeen

Re-mastered for a re-release, 1998's"Edge of Seventeen,"a sweet film about coming out to self and to others, hasn't held up since it was made eighteen years ago. From advances in technique, first-time screenwriter Todd Stephens and director David Moreton, have had important learning curves, as while definitely watchable, their film plays out quite slowly over its 99-minute length.

High school junior Eric (Chris Stafford, who has left acting to be a lawyer), WASP-y and attractive, is trying to find his true self in Sandusky, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Eire, in 1984. His best friend, Maggie (Tina Holmes, remembered from the last season of "Six Feet Under"), is unaware of Eric's struggle and is very much in love with him, the feelings (sans sexual interest) Eric has for her.

But Eric is feeling his male hormones and finds out quickly that while men are willing to have hot sex with him, most are not interested in long-range romance, much to his disappointment. Oddly, both of his tricks celebrate their nudity, but not his. But the high-light performance is that of Lea DeLaria, as his manager of a fast-food establishment and, in one scene at the end, singing a jazz version of a fifties song - she is a natural at hogging the limelight and makes her scenes burst with energetic humor.

So when Eric finally finds the courage to come out to his mom (Stephanie McVay), worried about his unexplained overnights, he is surprised to find full acceptance from her. McVay gives a moving performance.

Moreton and Stephens have produced a watchable film, using popular music of the era (The Eurhythmics and Bronski Beat, as well as a Boy George look Eric sports) and will be of interest to younger viewers in seeing how difficult it was for mid-American citizens to totally understand and accept homosexuality.

"Edge of Seventeen"
DVD/Blu-ray/HD
$19.99
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