Im No Easy a Lady Bird Zone
Gerwig makes a statement on the importance of finding your voice
Offbeat and off brand, Greta Gerwig's 2017 major studio directorial debut 'Lady Bird' is a tale of angst, stress and a strive for perfection and acceptance. The 2002-set film showcases Sacramento in all its glory - or perhaps, lack thereof - and puts Academy Award-nominee Saorise Ronan in the driver's seat to make an impact on audiences.
Think of it as a more mainstream, female 'Napoleon Dynamite,' the themes in 'Bird' are common ones that many young adults can identify with during the confusing, competitive high school years. At the center of the film is Ronan's title character (née, Christine), who stops at nothing to escape her hometown for the east coast while battling her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). This rivalry dominates the entire film and helps us understand how one's environment growing up can have a major impact on their choices in life. Between jumping out of moving vehicles, disrupting assemblies at her Catholic high school and struggling with early love, Lady Bird stumbles her way through senior year in pursuit of being part of the "in crowd."
Of course, this premise offers Gerwig a lot to work with, and her signature dramedic, deadpan tone is a constant throughout 'Bird.' Everything from the way scenes are shot to the quirky music selection are dripping with proverbial eye rolls, and they all work. Sure, there are a few moments that could cause general audiences gasp, but most of them are done in a way that is not mean-spirited or in poor taste. Aside from Ronan's A+ performance, others in the supporting cast don't disappoint, from Lucas Hedges to Timothée Chalamet.
'Lady Bird' was not a monster hit, but it has the building blocks to become a cult classic for this generation, similar to the way 'Dynamite' did nearly 15 years ago, and sets up Gerwig and Ronan to become even bigger stars than they already are.
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a touching throwback to the adolescent years
In the year 2002, Catholic high school senior Christine McPherson, self-named "Lady Bird," is an impetuous girl literally from the wrong side of the tracks who's at a critical stage in her life: she's continually at odds with her mother, despises her mundane life in Sacramento, and wants to go to college on the east coast in a city with culture. Her ordinary life suddenly takes a turn when she has to deal with popularity, discovering boys and romance, and coping with the problems of people other than her own. Cute, quirky, and thoughtful coming-of-age story is one everyone can relate to, with the all-important themes of teen angst, adolescence, and ambition; colorful dialogue, well-drawn characters, and believable situations are only elevated by a talented cast of actors. Twenty-three-year-old Ronan perfectly embodies the spirit of a self-absorbed teenager in all her complexities, making it easy for viewers to recall a similar time period in their lives. ***
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Pure coming of age escapism
This film is a blissful piece of nostalgic joy. I was nowhere near Sacramento in 2002, but whilst watching I genuinely felt as if I was there.
The relationship between Ladybird and her mother is the underlying thread throughout and they pull off a believable dynamic that's fun to see. There are also a bunch of other sub stories that are beautifully woven in.
I highly recommend if you want a nice relaxing film that is not too long and makes you smile at the end.
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A teen's life, in all its annoying realism
Warning: Spoilers
Fighting with your parents over your freedom to decide for yourself, struggling with financial difficulties, trying so hard to impress others to actually feel like people care about you and pay attention, doing the stupidest things out of fear of being rejected otherwise.
These things, and a million of other ones, are what an almost grown up human being's life is about. Well, maybe not everywhere and not for everyone, but most of us could surely relate to what Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson goes through. What Saoirse Ronan did to her character is no small feat. With her porcelain doll beauty and those pale blue eyes, she goes out of her typical closed and emotionally restrained character and becomes someone who yells and screams and laughs and cries and breaks things on screen, making Lady Bird so intense that it's unbearable at some points.
Making the character of Lady Bird so intense and hard to handle is probably both the film's best feature and its most serious flaw. In all the multitude of coming-of-age movies, the kid characters are mostly childish and they do dumb things often - but then some uncanny wisdom comes upon them and they grow up in our eyes and suddenly become reasonable and - let's be honest about this - tolerable at last. Lady Bird takes a slightly different road of dropping that sugarcoating and leaving Christine what she is - conflicted, hysterical, inconsistent and, damn, annoying! Just like the character of Christine's mother struggles to write her a letter and to choose words that would both be kind and ring true, so does the audience have a hard time accepting Lady Bird's edgy self. I certainly found it hard to do.
It's curious why we people love the coming-of-age stories. The kids watch them to see that someone does understand and does care about who they are, to see someone else who'd tell them that they are not alone. And we adults watch them to seek hope that those chaotic and erratic creatures we once gave birth to are indeed our kin and that sometime soon you'd get on the same page and would be able to actually talk to each other like responsible people.
In terms of promising the older generations a magical realm in which their progeny will be delivered to their hands all mature and stuff, Lady Bird isn't too reassuring. Nor does it promise us that kids secretly understand everything and it's just a lack of communication - because it's just not true. But there's one thing about this story that redeems all the facepalm moments you experience watching those kids do their kid stuff. That, just like the kids are not alone in their struggle, so aren't their parents. So there's no reason to blame the world on yourself and drown yourself in guilt and anger begotten by it - 'cause you're no more guilty than the other guy.
So, if you have a bird you love - just set it free, and if it loves you back, it will return some day and somehow.
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A solid, mature and bittersweet coming-of-age tale that manages to shy away from its genre's conventions
Lady Bird is surprisingly set in a post-9/11 Sacramento in 2002 , which is an un-usual but refreshing era for a modern coming-of-age story. While coming of age stories can often fall in to their charming but conventional trappings, Lady Bird shines in that it doesn't shy away from showing the faults of the characters it follows throughout its run time, almost to the point that you want to see even more of their journeys through life.
Lady Bird has excellent cinematography and believable characters with identifiable flaws and traits that really ground the movie. Lady Bird takes influence from the 'mumblecore' sub genre (a drama with emphasis on natural dialogue and personal character relationships over plot) and ties it nicely with a coming of age structure that doesn't over stay its welcome and definitely takes its own path you can relate to as a viewer.
Saoirse Ronan is particularly charming as our main character and bounces well with Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts filling in as her parents. The movie addresses a few subjects that aren't touched upon in most conventional coming of age movies, which gives the film a mature feeling. Particularly the 15 certificate in the UK meant the film didn't have to pander towards a younger audience, which is exactly want you want as a viewer of this genre because teenagers swear, talk about sex and abuse alcohol/drugs.
Some viewers may find its general pacing, structure and tone to be not particularly entertaining and up beat as many other coming of age movies but I found it enjoyable, funny and grounded. The soundtrack also wasn't particularly that memorable but does include some nods towards that era and adds some licensed tracks that some may appreciate.
A decent coming of age movie that shakes genre conventions but nothing particularly groundbreaking.
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There's a lot to love about Lady Bird.
Even though I was never a rebellious teenage girl at a catholic school in Sacramento, I still found myself relating to this quirky movie. Lady Bird captures the essence of what it's like to be a teenager. And while Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf really shine, each cast member adds something to the film. There's a lot to love about Lady Bird.
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A simple and timeless example of how teens find out who they are.
It's weird to think that 2003 was 15 years ago. As someone who graduated high school in 2004, Lady Bird (2017) hit me right in the nostalgia. While there have been plenty of coming-of-age films over the years, Lady Bird simplifies the experience to a quick-paced trot through the senior year of high school for the titular character (portrayed to great effect by Saoirse Ronan). All the trappings of the coming-of-age story are there, including experimentation with drugs, sex, and alcohol, but done in a way that is still innocent and child-like. In the end, Lady Bird is about independence and defining who we are as individuals.
What really hits home in the narrative of this film is the things we do to make ourselves stand out. From declaring that our name is different from the one our parents gave us to choosing which friends we spend our time with, we inevitably realize that we're seeking approval and acceptance from others. The trick with these statements of individuality is that they can sometimes backfire, pushing those who already loved us away at the expense of gaining approval from those who could care less about us.
What I found interesting about this film being set during the 2002-2003 school year was how it didn't stray too much from its focus on Lady Bird. Sure, there were hints about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the downfall of tech companies during the dot-com bubble, but they were used more as drivers for sub-plots and didn't need anything more than a passing mention. There were plenty of sub-plots in Lady Bird, but they never distracted from the main storyline, acting merely as moments to let the audience know what's happening with the other characters Lady Bird interacts with regularly. Of course, with a scant 94 minutes to cover a year of independence and maturity, these sub-plots needed to be short.
A simple and timeless example of how teens find out who they are, I give Lady Bird 4.5 stars out of 5.
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Lady Bird is a lovingly crafted coming-of-age drama.
"Another one? Seriously. Will these ever stop?" is probably what you are thinking. The answer is simple, the process of coming-of-age is relatable. A relatable story is one that viewers will warm to. Lady Bird is no different. It packs heart, plenty of character and subtle witty humour. A young girl, who titles herself "Lady Bird", is brought up in a catholic school and is at the stage of moving onto college. As with other synonymous films of this sub-genre, our teenage protagonist experiences their first love, family conflict and identity crisis. All part of the long process of growing up. This is nothing new, you may find its unoriginality to be a flaw but if it isn't broke...don't fix it. Also the short runtime results in a despondent narrative due to the amount of content being rammed into it. Despite the meaty plot, Lady Bird just works. So simple, yet incredibly effective. Addressing problematic themes of religious upbringing, materialism, guilt, wealth and the all important identity crisis when being a teenager. Gerwig may not be the most experienced director, but she definitely puts herself on the Hollywood map now. Nothing too fancy, a few quirks here and there but her reliance of the static camera position allows the actors to own the screen. She enables them to bring out the characters by simply giving them the whole screen. They are fundamentally the vital aspect. The characters themselves are fully realised and developed quite nicely, none of the events felt forced or coincidental and so the natural progression, particularly for Lady Bird and her mother, was presented efficiently. Ronan and Metcalf had a luminous chemistry together that felt both loving and prickly simultaneously. Hedges and Chalamet provided decent supporting roles also. I honestly don't have much else to say, if you've seen any coming-of-age film before then, really, you've seen this as well. Its formulaic approach is a small detriment to an incredibly acted, directed and written drama that will provide smiles all round.
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Charming, real and amazing
Greetings from Lithuania.
The best 3 words that describes "Lady Bird" (2017) are: charming, real and amazing. What a great and "not by a book" coming of age story it is.
Script and acting in this movie were simply brilliant. Saoirse Ronan gave one breathtaking performance. Script by writer and director Greta Gerwig was simply terrific - this kinda simple story glued me to the screen for the whole 1 h 35 min - watching this gem time flies in a sec.
Overall, while the story of "Lady Bird" itself isn't nothing new or original, powerhouse acting and mesmerizing script carries this movie to the heights. Great, funny, warm and amazing movie.
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Funny and relatable, featuring two outstanding lead performances
At first glance, this second feature from actor-turned-writer/director Greta Gerwig appears to be yet another quirky and twee little indie feature which made the cut as the obligatory low-budget entry into the Best Picture category at this year's Academy Awards. Yet Gerwig wasn't brought in by Noah Baumbach to co-write Frances Ha and Mistress America for nothing. She has a unique voice, and a keen eye for the smaller moments in life that most people didn't realise they had forgotten or missed. Lady Bird is riotously funny, incredibly relatable (for both sexes), and features two incredible lead performances. It's also profoundly authentic, and will have many female viewers (and some male) squirming in their seats as their own awkward memories of adolescence come pouring back.
It's 2002, and Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is an artistically-inclined teenager on the verge of leaving her Catholic high school and fleeing her home of Sacramento to attend college. She longs to be different and stand out from the crowd, opting to go by the nickname of 'Lady Bird' and dressing in a grungy, non-conformist way. She shares a relaxed relationship with her depressed father Larry (Tracy Letts), but struggles to communicate with her ball-busting but well-meaning mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). The film covers her final days of school and her struggles to find her identity. Best friend Julie (Beanie Feldstein) is always there for her, but Lady Bird is more interested in pursuing her burgeoning sexuality and trying to fit in with the cool, richer kids. All the disappointments of teenage life await her, but she firmly believes that life will only truly start once she escapes her childhood home.
The focus is primarily on Lady Bird's concerns, but this is also a story of a young girl struggling to communicate with her mother. Marion does all she can to help her daughter find the best life for herself, such as working long shifts at the hospital and maintaining a steady routine at home, but she is also burdened with unrealistic expectations and emotionally scarred by her own abusive childhood. Their relationship is summed up in the opening scene, as Lady Bird opts to jump out of a moving vehicle and break her arm rather than listening to her mother voice an opinion. The dynamic forms the film's backbone, and their quick-tempered back-and-forths will be familiar to many. Both Ronan and Metcalf are outstanding in their roles, finding sympathy for their characters when they are at their most flawed and unreasonable. Gerwig finds the perfect balance between light and dark, taking the edge off when events get a little too familiar with some beautifully-timed comedy. Lady Bird will no doubt launch Gerwig onto bigger and better things.
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Original and well written coming of age story, a true masterpiece
I watched this movie in the beginning of 2018 and re-watched it today, I didn't know if I would like it then but I got blown away in how well made the movie is, the crew behind it have created a piece of art. The cast portrays the characters in such a realistic way, you feel the emotion in a powerful way. Greta Gerwig directed and wrote the movie, making her the true star of the movie as she created a coming of age story so moving and loving about a relationship between daughter and mother, it's a masterpiece in its genre.
The ensemble cast is superb, but the two that stand out is Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf who portrays the daughter and mother, simply Oscar worthy performances. How we get to see everything from Lady Bird's perspective is what makes it great but you can also see the depth of the other characters like the mother. A character that has a lot of problems similar to the protagonist but us a viewer can see that she's actually a great mother but can't help her own problems. Wonderful wiring for the characters.
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Refreshing
This coming of age movie is finely written and directed by Greta Gerwig. She loosely bases the story on her own experiences growing up in Sacramento. The main character, Christine, is 17 years old and calls herself « Lady Bird ». I like her free spirit. Saoirse Ronan fully embodies the role, bringing her energy and her sense of humor. She gives a great performance, as does Laurie Metcalf. Both actresses perfectly capture the complex relationship between a mother and her daughter. The rest of the cast is also good, especially Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet who play the boyfriends. The scenes with them are indeed funny and colorful. This bittersweet comedy deserves to be seen. It's a refreshing portrayal of teenage life.
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A laugh, a tear, a shiver and some goosebumps
The greatest thing about this film is its balance. It's funny, it's touching, it's emotional and it's heartfelt. Some scenes will make you laugh out loud, others will make you shiver and some will make you feel happy. Every emotion is perfectly measured out. Not one single scene is overdone or melodramatic.
The theme of the film is classic: growing up. Christine is seventeen and she wants to be different. That's why she calls herself Lady Bird. She lives in Sacramento ('The Midwest of California') and she hates it. That's why she wants to move to the East Coast ('where there is culture'). She attends a high school run by nuns called Immaculate Heart, but she feels she doesn't belong there. That's why she applies for Ivy League universities, defying advice and common sense.
All the coming-of-age ingredients are there: the longing for greater things (already in one of the very first scenes), the parents who have forgotten what it's like to be a teenager (one parent in particular, in this case), the joy of turning eighteen, the urge to get away from home.... and I could go on.
Because all this has already been done so many times on the big screen, it's difficult to stand out. But director Greta Gerwig has managed just that. Not by adding anything special to the mix of familiar themes, but by showing them just as they are. And by applying the perfect mix of a laugh, a tear, a shiver and some goosebumps.
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Greta Gerwig's wonderful debut is one of the finer coming of age tales of recent years.
Sacramento, California, 2002. Seventeen-year-old Christine (Ronan), who prefers the artistic yet slightly pretentious 'Lady Bird' as her official title, is desperate to get away from home. Dreaming of leaving her mundane life and financially troubled family behind in favour of a 'city with culture', Christine fails to appreciate everything she already has right in front of her. Navigating her way through relationships, her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf) and her school theatre program, Christine goes through all the trials and tribulations every young person endures throughout their late teens, discovering her true self along the way.
Greta Gerwig makes a truly remarkable directorial debut here, working from her own excellent screenplay to craft an engaging coming of age story. Lady Birds strongest factor is without a doubt the terrific performances. Front and centre of the film is Ronan, who is superb as always. Portraying the aggravations and heartache of the titular character, Ronan presents us with someone painfully relatable, allowing us to fully invest in her journey. What works best in the film is the strenuous relationship with Christine and her mother, in which they are frequently clashing. Gerwig's dialogue is written in a way that is raw and human, and there isn't a single line that fails to resonate. Arguments aside, the bond between mother and daughter is one Gerwig reigns focus on the most. It is this bond that cleverly opens and closes the film, and by it's end, we feel like we know these characters intimately.
Lady Bird is an impressive debut for Gerwig and another home run for Ronan. I'm glad to see low budget, indie films like this get recognition at awards shows, but in the end, it's not the awards that matter. Focused and sharply written, this is one of the finer coming of age tales in recent years, which will hopefully lead to further films with Gerwig behind the camera.
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Sparkles and soars in the best of ways
With one of my favourite trailers of the year, the awards attention, the theme of coming of age and the critical acclaim, 'Lady Bird' very quickly became one of the year's most anticipated films for me. Deliberately didn't see it at opening weekend though, just in case it was busy and difficult to get tickets, after the insane opening weekend of 'Black Panther'.
'Lady Bird' in no way disappointed. With the above, was hoping that it would be one of my favourite films of the year and it turned out to be exactly that, the awards attention and acclaim more than fully deserved. This doesn't just fly, 'Lady Bird' actually soars and have not seen a coming of age-themed film in recent memory this sparkling or honest or with this amount of humour, brains, heart and charm. Have seen it mentioned as a passion project, and if it was the passion and hard work can be seen all over.
It is a very appealing film visually, with beautiful and colourful cinematography and with editing that flows succinctly and cohesively. The music is has energy yet knows when to understate itself when needed. In her first film as solo director, Greta Gerwig directs with a nimble touch, the comedy is light on its feet and she avoids making the emotional elements heavy-handed or tonally jarring.
The script is one of the year's best, my personal pick actually for this year's Best Original Screenplay Oscar of the nominees. The comedy sparkles in wit and is genuinely hilarious, done in an honest and true to life way yet with some cringes like it would be in real life too. Over-sentimentality is avoided in the more emotional and dramatic scenes, there are some really sweet and poignant moments and an endearing personal touch.
Found myself really emotionally investing in and relating to the mother and daughter relationship, their bonding bringing tears to my eyes and then making me smile and laugh when botched and leaving me with hope at resolution at the same time. The coming of age/angsty elements have a truthfulness, authenticity and twinkle and it was very easy to identify with them if in the same position growing up, they're often very funny but also very heartfelt and charming.
Story is immensely engaging throughout right from the riotous opening to the more emotional and avoiding-being-too-pat ending, anchored by the mother and daughter relationship that entertains, moves and provokes thought. Didn't mind at all that it wasn't ground-breaking, due to not expecting it to be as coming of age can be predictable. Enjoyed the way the characters were written, and appreciated that the film broke away from the typical archetype of school teachers being over-disciplinary and without humour.
Performances are never less than great, with Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf fully inhabiting their characters and phenomenally. It was wonderful for both to get awards attention with both giving two of the year's best performances. Lois Smith twinkles too in her role.
If Lucas Hedges (who has grown quite a lot) and Timothee Chalamet (not as good as his truly remarkable performance in 'Call Me By Your Name' but showing why he is one of the most promising recent rising stars) continue to go down this promising path they are likely to go on to big careers.
Concluding, fabulous film and one of my favourites of the year. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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One of the best in its genre; a wonderful, uplifting experience.
The characters in 'Lady Bird (2017)' are all so fantastically realised (even those that have mere minutes of screen-time) that you could almost swear they were real, even though the piece is rooted firmly within the cinematic 'suspension-of-disbelief' scripted area as opposed to the ultra-realistic 'mumble-core' improvisational one. It really is this keen focus on its core players, via its phenomenal script and superb performances, that allows it to be so believable and compelling, despite the fact that it is seemingly about the totally mundane. It seems as though you are just watching the life of this young woman and yet is totally captivating, a charming look into the extremely honest trials and tribulations of a person trying their best to find out where they fit in this world, and it feels like one of the most 'down-to-earth' in its genre whilst also being one of the most endearing and best written to boot. It's mature, intelligent film-making that still knows how to be fun; a wonderful, uplifting experience. 8/10
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Charming, entertaining, and incredibly well written and acted
It's hard to know what to say about Lady Bird. Currently it sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with about 150 reviews, which is a testament to how truly likable the film is. It would be hard to see many people disliking this, if any. Despite its acclaim, it's a relatively simple coming-of-age film. We've seen many like this, and while there are many good, even great ones, Lady Bird is one that truly captures the difficulty of growing up and the gratitude that sometimes escapes us about the sacrifices others have made for us. It's simple, but a film with a lot on its mind, and it translates to the screen incredibly well. Both Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf deliver some truly powerful, genuine, authentic work, and I really hope both are able to get Oscar nominations for their work here.
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A truly remarkable coming-of-age comedy
A truly remarkable coming-of-age comedy, above all for its sincere, credible nature and it is not at all easy to be honest and sincere with a film of this kind, for the simple reason that in most cases these "coming- of-age "are often filled with clichés, stereotypes and commonplace, and more often than not they base their foundations precisely on these things. In doing so they are not credible and absolutely forgettable. Well this is not the case. The merit of an extraordinary script that is impeccably written, it is a mature, intelligent, often ironic, sweet, credible, intense and also very emotional script. Greta Gerwig manages this script in a superb way, despite her little experience (this is her second film as a director but first soloist) is extremely aware of the intensity of her film. The interpretations are also particularly notable and not only that of the protagonist, played by the talented Saoirse Ronan that with this role, in which she identifies perfectly, reaches its 3 nominations at the Oscars at only 23 years, it could be called a new Meryl Streep; but also the interpretations of the rest of the cast: from the young and promising Beanie Feldstein, to the most mature, and in this movie is also very good (so much to receive a nomination, the first in her career), Laurie Metcalf, up to two young masculine promises Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet, both discovered only in these two years (the first in 2016 with his performance in "Manchester by the Sea" is the second this year with "Call me by your Name". Unfortunately, however, from an extraordinary beginning, extremely ironic, fun, fresh, the film lost itself a little towards the middle, which is a little heavy, and then it recover itself in the final. Watching it, it came back to me, given their similarity in terms of the theme and the rhythm, another coming-of-age of 2016, "The Edge of Seventeen", also an excellent film that unfortunately was relatively forgotten and ignored.
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Sweet, funny, emotional movie
Sacramento, 2002. Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson is in her final year of high school. She longs to leave Sacramento and go to college on the East Coast. However, her protective, obsessive mother, pessimistic at her chances, is determined to keep her in California, and ideally nearby to home. Lady Bird's final year of school will be one of discovery, new experiences and finding herself.
Sweet, emotional movie, dealing with change, growing up and figuring out who you are. It also deals with parent-child relationships and how these shape us, and how the other party's intentions and motives are often misunderstood.
Takes a while to find its focus though. While you figure the movie is a coming-of-age sort of thing, for the most part it feels like it is drifting. Not that this is boring - writer-director Greta Gerwig fills these scenes with humour and many relatable and engaging events. It is more like there wasn't an obvious point to all this.
The last few scenes more than make up for this, as everything comes together in profound, emotional fashion.
Great performances by Saoirse Ronan as Lady Bird and Laurie Metcalf as her mother. Both received Oscar nominations. Greta Gerwig received a Best Director nomination and a Best Original Screenplay nomination while the movie was nominated for Best Picture.
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Lady Bird
A striking directorial debut by Greta Gerwig, this tender, semi-autobiographical love letter to Gerwig's hometown explores the gulf between childhood and adulthood with touching, witty humor. Gerwig first gained acclaim for writing and acting in "mumblecore" indies; she seemed to find her own voice and persona in films like Damsels in Distress and Frances Ha. Now she brings that persona, fully formed, to the nuanced, wonderful Lady Bird. (It resembles Frances Ha, which she co-wrote, in many good ways.) And, standing in for the director on-screen, Oscar nominee Ronan perfectly adopts Gerwig's trademark sweet/scatterbrain delivery, sprinkling it with soul and humanity. The movie is more about a time, a state of mind, and an emotional place than it is a story, and Gerwig allows scenes to wander off track in a delightful way.
Even if they have nothing to do with Lady Bird, scenes sometimes follow secondary characters for no other reason than Gerwig likely found them interesting, sad, or funny. Not everything is explained. Special care is given to Lady Bird's mother, Marion, who's no-nonsense and borderline mean, but also truly loving. Metcalf gives a fine performance in the role. The overall use of music, cityscape images, and feisty rhythms round out a wonderfully personal, open-hearted movie.
The movie is an experience that should be seen. It is a great debut film and deserves some praise as a great coming of age film.
Overall Rating: 8.1
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Fly, Fly Away, Little Birdie
Allow myself to introduce myself. Bird. Lady Bird. Oh, don't forget the quotes to make it super kewl.
There are many positives about this movie and not many negatives and yet, this movie seems overblown with the praise it has received. I absolutely love these quirky, coming of age, real life drama/comedies. But, maybe I've seen too many of them. Or, I've seen far too many better ones.
Yes, this movie is honest and yeah, the drama feels totally real - not to mention some of the comedy is funny. The acting is fantastic, especially by the parents and "Lady Bird," herself, very good. Plus, I loved, for once, they portrayed a Catholic School in a positive and progressive manner. But...
Again, I've seen this all before. With much better and deeper dialogue and emotion. Juno might not have been the first, but it was the biggest modern eye-opener for this subgenre to me and I loved almost every aspect of that true and real story. (Plus it had 10x the soundtrack this one tried to have.)
There's just not much story here, other than one girl's struggle with her struggling parents, her need for popularity and her yearning to get out of the West and meet the East. You won't get too many surprises in this story from maybe one or two scenes, but you will get less conflict than most family dramas and that was definitely comforting.
Planning on leaving this movie a better person, or running to your nearest friend to highly recommend like most films that fit these highlights? Think again. But, simultaneously, you won't regret seeing it and will say it was good and worth seeing. Just...on home streaming. Absolutely not worth paying an admission/parking price for a movie theatre ticket.
***
Final thoughts: Before I go, I will give a huge kudos to one of my life-long favorites, Laurie Metcalf - the mother. Despite the movie's title and the world circling around the daughter, Lady Bird, it's the mother, or Metcalf, that completely steals the movie and if she wins Best Supporting Actress, I'm behind that vote. Heck, frankly, she could also be considered for Best Actress for this since she's in the majority of the feature. Just think, on the eve of the 2018 Oscar Noms, they'll just stick her in the "Supporting" role since the title targets her onscreen daughter. Shame. She definitely could've claimed the top Actress award. Easily.
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Great and ordinary
Warning: Spoilers
Christine, 17, rather pretentiously calls herself Lady Bird. She has ambitions which may exceed her ability to fulfil them, the usual mixed relationships with her contemporaries at school, burgeoning sexuality, and a relationship with her mother which is mostly fractious, although it has moments which reach both extreme highs and (more often) extreme lows. In short, she is a fairly unremarkable teenager.
If I was going to level a criticism at this film, that would be it - this is a slice of everyday life, with nothing in it to mark it out as any different from your life or mind: mild family dysfunctionality, and aren't we all familiar with that to a greater or lesser extent?
But, going beyond that, Saoirse Ronan adds another superb performance to her CV - it surely can't be long before she notches up her first Oscar. And Laurie Metcalf, as her mother, is superb. She brought me to tears more than once.
This small film about ordinary people behaving like ordinary people pleased me a great deal.
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What's the point?
What's the point of this movie? Other than the main character being really annoying, nothing happens.
It's very boring and I feels like a stranger starts talking to you while waiting for the bus about their boring childhood...
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Nice little comedy drama, with Sacramento as the backdrop.
This is a nice little comedy drama about a Catholic school girl who comes of age in Sacramento, California and aspires to study the arts in college in New York. We get to see a pretty captivating look at her high school days, from dealing with rebellious friends to uninteresting boyfriends. Also, her sometimes rocky relationship between her and her mom were emphasized in the movie, as well as her love/hate relationship with Sacramento - which both made the movie quite interesting. The girl was a brat though, and some of the things she had done and said were quite jaw-dropping. Too bad she didn't quite get reprimanded for that - it would have been quite the satisfying result.
Being a Sacramentan myself, it's nice seeing the city serving as a backdrop for a motion picture, let alone a Best Picture Nominee. Seeing familiar Sacramento places on the big screen, from the State Capitol to the Tower Bridge, from the Crest Theatre to the Tower Theatre, and from Gunther's Ice-Cream to Sac International Airport was a real treat.
Grade B
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love and attention
It's 2002 Sacramento. Christine MacPherson (Saoirse Ronan) demands to be called Lady Bird. She has a combative love hate relationship with her hard-working mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Her father (Tracy Letts) is struggling. Lady Bird is desperate to go to college in New York despite her mother's money concerns. She has a crush on Danny who is surprised that she actually lives on the other side of the tracks. She abandons her best friend Julie to get close to rich girl Jeanna and rich slacker musician Kyle.
Greta Gerwig brings a personal touch to the mother-daughter relationship and her home town of Sacramento. There is a warmth to their verbal combat. There is real heart to their portrayal. There is biting humor and quirky gentleness. There are real insights into the mother daughter connection. Only one scene troubled me. Saoirse dials up the "Please talk to me" scene to eleven when a nine would be more heart-breaking. I see the emotional push but it gets too manufactured in that one scene. Overall, this is an outstanding film with some great laughs.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/reviews
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