Lady Bird

Let’s just cut to the quick and come of age, shall we?

Put simply, Lady Bird is a slightly edgy coming-of-age story following one Christine McPherson through her senior year of Catholic high school in Sacramento.  She juggles class, theater, love, family, and friendship, all while desperately looking to escape Sactown via east-coast colleges.  Oh, and there’s an obvious douchebag psuedo-intellectual named Kyle.  ‘Cause of course there is.  Goddammit.

More than that, though, the film centers on identity and the relationship between a girl and her mother.  Throughout the film, Christine corrects people who call her by that name, the name her parents gave her, insisting they instead use the sobriquet “Lady Bird”.  As a teenager on the verge of breaking out into real life, she’s rebelling against the main authority she’s known, namely her kinda overbearing mother.  Said mother emphasizes cleanliness, order, and propriety, things she pursues with a nigh compulsive verve, something that doesn’t quite sit with a mentally rambunctious teen (as one would expect).  There’s plenty of arguing as a result, covering a range of rage and durations, but the underlying relationship remains constant and central throughout, coloring Christine’s worldview whether she likes it or not (or even whether she recognizes it or not).

Aiding this central internal conflict are the talents of the actresses involved, M’Lady Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf.  Both women pull some heavy thespian lifting here, with Metcalf reminding us just how good an actress she truly is (garbage like Big Bang Theory just plain isn’t helping anybody) with plenty of hard-hitting emotional scenes.  M’Lady Ronan continues to show that she’s not losing any luster herself (no matter how much damage The Host wanted to do), crafting a surprisingly believable teenager out of circumstances and happenings that some might consider a bit odd at times.  Also bringing some heat is Tracy Letts as the McPherson patriarch, a man who strives to be the Good Guy, the one who quietly suffers while working in the background to ensure no one notices.  Trust me, I could fairly easily empathize with Christine.

Of note is the direction and script from perennial indie darling Greta Gerwig, who this time forgoes any amount of screentime in favor of remaining behind the camera.  This is only her second feature (and I haven’t seen her other offering, Nights and Weekends from nine years ago), but she shows some strong inclinations here, opting for a mostly straightforward approach, thought one that showcases some raw lyricism at times and one that allows her actors to really stretch within and own the frame.  The script is strong, keeping some things gleefully subtle and underlining others.  The year that’s depicted flows fluidly, complete with plenty of relative highs and lows that keep us moving right along with the action.

Overall, Lady Bird is a delight.  I think of it as a strong blend of Little Sister and Edge of Seventeen, the best parts of each getting the chance to shine here.  Give it a go, especially if you’re into the previously named films, and you likely won’t be disappointed.