(#17) Lady Bird (2017) - [7/10]

A high-schooler dreaming of college life, attempts to excel in school while having to deal with her strict mother.

Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, a teenage girl faces a lot of ups and downs in her relationships during her senior year in high school.

How would I describe this film in one word?

Slow.

Note P.S. If this review seems a bit off and not fully realized, it's because I'm writing it a day after watching it and it's jagged in memory. Sorry.

Review

This movie presents a period of life -seemingly the final year of high school for young Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson. Why did I construct the sentence so awkwardly obviously to describe the movie cause obviously it's a period in her life? Because the story of the movie only proceeds as a period, not really focusing on one may aspect of her life. You would think initially think it's about how she so desperately wants to escape the clutches of get strict mother and move to study in New York but that part of the story only takes the centerspot in the beginning and end of the movie, the middle portion of the movie is about her school life and her social life and relationships. I didn't feel like they were trying to focus solely on a single thing - which I mean negatively. It's just like you record yourself through the entirety of you senior year of high school, it just feels like a phase. For example, another coming-of-age movie like Wonder showcases the protagonist's 5th grade but what it did was focus on one aspect that was his struggle for acceptance and friendship. I just didn't feel that anything took the spotlight in this movie which I'm finding difficult to construct in a sentence because I don't typically come across this issue in movies.

But eventhough nothing takes the spotlight, what it does showcase, it does well. Saoirise Ronan's exceptional portrayal of Lady Bird showed that she went through quite the hurdle in her social life. At first she quickly finds out that her boyfriend was gay and cheating on her, then she breaks her strong bond with her best friend as she attempts to climb the social ladder and befriend the class's 'cool girl' and does questionable things under the influence of peer pressure. But the highlight of the movie was the chemistry between the mother Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf) and Lady Bird (Saoirise Ronan) - and by Chemistry I mean unstably toxic chemistry between the two. The relationship constitutes of Lady Bird having to deal with and cause trouble for her strict mother who tries everything to make sure she doesn't look as poor as the household is. Even if Christine is the troublemaker, the mother isn't completely innocent either as she finds it difficult to express affection and love for her daughter. And this relationship is beautiful to watch for being so moving bolstered by their terrific acting. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy the movie as a whole though I desperately wanted to. It wasn't a bad movie, but it was disappointing considering my expectations for it.

RATING: 7/10

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Director: Greta Gerwig

Rated: R

Runtime: 1 hr 34 min

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts