Lady Bird - movie review

Lady Bird

Plot: In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts
Director: Greta Gerwig
Certificate: 15 (very strong language, brief strong nudity)
Runtime: 1hr 34 mins
Release Date: Friday 16th February 2018

The build up to the 90th Academy Awards continues and with it, some fantastic films. Lady Bird is no exception. Indie darling, Greta Gerwig, bursts out of the gates with a tale of adolescence, identity and family ties all in the midst of a 2002 American suburb lifestyle. Lady Bird is one of those films that will likely slip under most people's radar, partly due to its limited release in the United Kingdom but, before I give my in-depth review, if you're able to, do yourself a favour and seek out Lady Bird.

When you finish binging a show on Netflix and no longer know what to do with your life...

For a first time in the director's seat, Gerwig has cemented herself as a prospect for success in the long term. Her style is a mixture of Wes Anderson (if toned down) and Sofia Coppola with symmetrical frames and a care towards the treatment of her female characters. However, to pop on the controversial cap of mine, I pose the debate that I'm glad Gerwig got the screenplay nomination over her directing. Don't misquote me; Gerwig is deserving of the nomination and would probably make my personal selection for Best Directors of the year but the most significant aspect to Lady Bird that made the biggest impact upon myself was the witty and authentically written dialogue by Gerwig. Having just gone through the 'teen into adulthood' phase myself, a lot of the experiences, conversations and emotional dilemmas resonate strongly with me. Discussions regarding what the future can hold for us and worrying that friendships could dissolve when university beckons is all something that I can relate to and so, Lady Bird managed to tickle my funny bones but more importantly, connect strongly to these characters and their motivations. The story of Lady Bird is a fairly simple one; Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Ronan) is nearing the end of her high school days so is tasked with finding the right college for herself. Alongside this, she has to juggle relationships with lovers, best friends and also her mother (Metcalf). There's a whole host of supporting players that Gerwig has seemingly scoured her way through the indie hemisphere to pick out a number of these underrated talents. Timotheé Chalamet, who is also nominated for his outstanding performance in the beautiful Call Me By Your Name, makes an appearance as a love interest for Ronan's adventurous teen and he was the only weak link I found. Whether it was because Chalamet and Gerwig were attempting to parody the bad-boy image that felt more just like a generic interpretation of the stereotype, or whether Chalamet wasn't giving on his A-Game, his arc and relationship didn't gel all that well for me.

"Wait, you're not Armie Hammer!"

FACT: According to director Greta Gerwig, the first draft of her script was 350 pages long, which would equate to a movie nearly six hours long.

Other incredible actors make their mark in Lady Bird with Lucas Hedges (Manchester By The Sea), Beanie Feldstein (Bad Neighbours 2) and Stephen Henderson (Fences) all giving brilliant supporting performances. But out of all the secondary roles, it was Tracy Letts who is getting overshadowed in the awards talk. Letts brings an understated sense of realism to proceedings portraying the father of Lady Bird dealing with the fallout of the explosive and unpredictable mother-daughter relationship surrounding him. This is a very pained and hurt character that hit me in a profound and unexpected way. However, all of these actors are playing second fiddle to the two major acting stars of Lady Bird; Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. The dichotomy between these actresses is unparalleled. Through Gerwig's brilliant script, we witness the ebbs and flows of their relationship. There's a sense of ferocious animosity between the two but still a level of love and respect. It's beautiful and heartbreaking to watch at the same time. Laurie Metcalf more than deserves her nomination for Best Supporting Actress thanks to her controlled and subdued performance as she does all she can to hold the family together whilst everything around her is falling to pieces. The scenes in which Metcalf shares the screen with Ronan are some of the most effective with both actresses getting the best out of each other. And then there's Saoirse Ronan. To give a slight bit of context, Ronan is only twenty-three years of age and she is already boasting three Oscar nominations. There should be no quarrels in discussing that she is one of the greatest actresses working today and already creating a legacy for herself. Ronan seems to be solidifying herself as the new Meryl Streep. As Lady Bird, she presents her best performance to date bringing a raw sense of energy and class to an emotionally complex character. This is certainly an Oscar worthy performance but considering her category is already stacked with talent, the odds of her actually winning aren't as strong as Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) or Sally Hawkins (The Shape Of Water).

And the Oscar for Best Lion Impression goes to...

With a hilarious and emotional script that resonated heavily with myself and some of the year's best performances, Lady Bird is the ideal blend of an indie movie style with a mainstream appeal. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You might even do both at the same time. Gerwig takes the typical trope of a coming of age movie and flips it on its head similar to what The Edge Of Seventeen showcased a couple of years ago. The ensemble of Lady Bird is remarkable across the board but this film belongs to Gerwig, Ronan and Metcalf. It's a blast.

My Verdict: 8/10

What did you think of Lady Bird? What is your favourite modern coming of age movie? Sound off in the comments below.

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