The Edge of Seventeen: parents' guide
Best for ages 15 and up. Rated R for sexual content, language and some drinking - all involving teens.
A funny, painfully honest high school comedy-drama for older teens, with frank language and sexual situations but a warm heart. Nadine, still grieving the father who died of a heart attack in front of her, feels betrayed when her best friend starts sleeping with her brother. Expect about 15 f-words, an explicit text about sex acts she sends by accident, teen binge drinking and vomiting, and a scene where a boy pushes her for sex in his car until she shoves him off. She also jokes darkly about killing herself. Good for 15 and up.
What's in it
Violence
StrongRated strong for one sexual assault: making out in his car, Nick gropes Nadine and pulls at her underwear until she pushes him away, then berates her; nothing explicit is shown. Otherwise bullies shove her down, and her father's fatal crash appears in flashback.
Language
StrongFrequent: one guide counted about 15 f-words and 20 s-words, plus "dickhead," "prick," "asshole," crude terms for body parts, and nearly 20 misuses of God's and Jesus' names.
Sex and nudity
ModerateNadine accidentally sends her crush a crude text describing sex acts, and its contents are spelled out. Her best friend and brother are found in bed together and keep hooking up, a mom describes a weekend fling, and teens make out. No nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateTeens play drinking games and drink beer at a party with no adults around; Nadine and her friend get very drunk and Nadine throws up. Nadine's mom drinks wine.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateA flashback shows Nadine's father suffering a fatal heart attack at the wheel, and her grief is raw throughout. She repeatedly says she wants to die, which the film treats as exaggeration, and her teacher answers with a mock suicide note.
Sensitive topics
- Death of a parent
- Sexual assault
- Suicide
- Bullying
Worth talking about
One accidental text turns Nadine's week upside down. What would you do if something private you sent ended up with the wrong person, and who would you tell?
On our lists
Similar picks around 15+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, bbfc.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.