Blu-ray reviews: ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Masterminds’

Two recently released comedies offer laughs and some teenage angst to home theater owners.

Edge of Seventeen (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Rated R, 102 minutes, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, $34.98) — The critically acclaimed directorial debut of writer Kelly Fremon Craig offers an intense coming-of-age film starring Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) as an awkward 17-year-old Nadine Franklin.

Channeling the comedic spirit of John Hughes and his teen classics, the film introduces Miss Franklin’s complex life as a Portland high school student while she exists without her dad, hates her too-popular brother Darian (Blake Jenner), deals with her self-absorbed mother (Kyra Sedgwick) and is fed up with her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), who is romantically involved with Darian.

Miss Franklin works through the minefields of young adulthood with help from her favorite cynical history teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), and an equally awkward but wealthy student named Erwin (Hayden Szeto) while she maintains a steady streak of narcissism and a biting sense of humor amidst her bouts of drama.

A movie that’s too relatable to my life with a 17-year-old son, it’s slathered with poignant moments and a fair share of tear-jerking ones between its amusements.

I’m not sure how many more coming-of-age films the genre can withstand, but I’m glad Miss Fremon Craig took a chance and crafted this welcomed look at teenage life.

Best extras: We’re a bit slim in the featurette department with only a, believe it or not, 5-minute gag reel loaded with bleeped f-bombs and a trio of deleted scenes.

I would have loved an optional commentary track with the director/writer to hear about the genesis of the project.

Masterminds (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, 94 minutes, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, $39.99) — Director Jared Hess’ (“Napoleon Dynamite”) wacky comedy from last year, based on a true-life 1997 robbery of the Loomis, Fargo & Co.’s armored car firm, hopes to spread its mirth to home theater audiences.

With a story about stealing $17 million in the most bumbling way possible, the movie offered infinite potential due to such cinematic laugh crafters as Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Owen Wilson, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

Unfortunately, fixations on flatulence, “Three Stooges”-style pratfalls and a booger whistle along with the cartoonish trailer-trash depiction of the main characters doomed the film to play out like a 90-minute “Saturday Night Live” skit.

Mr. Galifianakis does his best brain-dead imbecile imitation as he portrays David Scott Ghantt, the real guy who stole the money.

Miss Wiig offers a tamer portrayal of Kelly Campbell, the woman who convinced him to pull off the crime, and Mr. Wilson handles the role of the mysterious mastermind behind the heist Steve Chambers.

Ultimately, Kate McKinnon steals the show as Ghantt’s slightly disturbed fiancé Jandice.

Best extras: OK, so how do we not get an extended gag reel or crazy outtakes with this brilliantly unstable comedic cast? Nope.

Instead, the only included featurette is actually the perfect complement to the movie. Viewers get a 16-minute overview of the crime with interviews from the journalist who wrote about it, Jeff Diamant; the FBI agents who closed the case; and the real Ghantt.

The segment was often more enjoyable than the film, and I could have watched hours learning about how a group of nitwits practically pulled off one of the biggest cash robberies in the history of the United States.

Although. I feel sorry for the slightly clueless Ghantt. He never really comments about the film’s specifics, but it had to be hard to watch Mr. Galifianakis portray him as a complete moron.