Edge of Seventeen (1999)

In 1984, best friends Eric and Maggie get summer jobs together where a couple of their coworkers are gay. This prompts an awakening in Eric, who realizes that he, too, is gay. Since I graduated in 1985, I know that this is a very real depiction of how it felt to be a teen back then. They got everything right: from the cringeyness of not quite fitting in and wanting more from crushes than they want to give you, to the fear of disappointing your parents. 

But yikes. I did not have a good time with this film at all. I know I'm old now, but I couldn't get it out of my head that Eric is A KID. It's not OK for his boss to tease those under her about their sexual exploits, nor is it OK for Eric to be taken under the wings of several regulars in their 30s and 40s at the local gay bar. Fine, be gay, but providing a safe haven for gay kids and accepting them for who they are is a whole lot different than what was going on here. Maybe I just don't get it? I don't know.

C