Lady Bird is a comedy-drama coming of age film, directed by Greta Gerwig. This film is a wonderful contrast, being both painfully earnest and honest in its depiction of growing up. Whilst also being heartfelt, charming and deeply funny. The screenplay which was also written by Gerwig, is incredibly strong, making the film effortlessly relatable. The humour of the film all lands very nicely and I was either laughing or smiling near constantly. The drama and emotion that runs through the film also feel very genuine and real. The majority of this drama comes from the relationship, between Lady Bird or Christine, (played by Saoirse Ronan), and her mother Marion, (Laurie Metcalf). It is a testament to both actresses that this very personal relationship feels completely real, the up and downs of the pair’s interactions carry much more emotional weight as a result of this. You can feel the love, but also the teenage resentment and the desperate need for understanding, and believe every minute of it. The film covers themes such as discovering your sexuality, it does this in a genuine and heartfelt way. Lucas Hedges’ character of Danny is Lady Bird first boyfriend, he is likeable and loveable and wonderfully played by Hedges. Later on, in the films second act after Lady Bird catches him kissing another boy in the toilet, there is an interaction between the two when Danny is scared and doesn’t know what to do, this is painfully real and heartbreaking in the most genuine way. My greatest praise for the film is just so accurately the film depicts adolescents. An example of this is when Lady Bird finally has sex and is let down because it wasn’t the special magical thing she had built it up to be in her head. This so accurately captures how it is for a lot of people. The film doesn’t just tackle teenage issues with Tracy Letts’s character of Larry, (Ladybird’s father), showing how life can be cruel and knock you down. What makes Lett’s performance so rounded is that he still has an underlying sense of positivity. This film doesn’t try to make the teenage years seem overly glamours, which a lot of other bildungsroman films do, but rather shows you the reality. The score is also amazing, with the short songs from the plays being really good and well done. The film does waste some of its characters with Jordan Rodrigues character of Miguel not having much to do. This film is a triumph of writing, with every scene accurately capturing the teenage condition. Despite a few underused characters, this is a well-acted film on the part of the two female leads. I can guarantee it will have you laughing, crying and maybe even thinking back to your own childhood.
4/5
Reviewed by Luke.
Another Millennial Reviewer 