Lady Bird (2017)
2017
R
93 Minutes
Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, a fiercely independent teenager, tries to make her own way in the world while wanting to get out of her hometown of Sacramento, California & to get away from her co...
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird,' is quite simply an effortlessly engaging and charming coming-of-age story that achieves its brilliance by building a relatable world of characters whose stories each transcend to any generation. Indeed in looking at the frustrations and restrictions of every-day life as a teenager and an adult side by side, this film feels properly close to home no matter the audience. But really it's the way that it does all of that so effortlessly that means it's as successful and affecting as it is, as Gerwig brings everything down to earth with a script absent of any false cliches or forced emotional climaxes that instead has its characters avoiding the overall​ themes and rather falling victim to them in a realistic and humourous light. This - along with perfect performances from Saorise Ronan and Laurie Metcalf - means that everything is touching and relatable and nothing feels contrived in the slightest. As a result, I would argue that it's rather comparable overall to last year's '20th Century Women,' as both of these are films where you connect to properly relatable people who live out their every-day realities under a fairly charmed light. The difference here is that it's more of a struggle and less of a breeze, and that's both exceedingly entertaining, and often rather moving.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Whilst it builds realism and engagement, its effortless approach could hinder some of the themes' potential power.
VERDICT: A funny, touching and thoroughly engaging coming-of-age story, 'Lady Bird,' is a beautifully effortless piece of work that truly puts writer/director Gerwig on the map.0 member like this review.
