Reviews & Ratings for
Lady Bird (2017)

In 2002, Christine McPherson is a senior at a Catholic high school[a] in Sacramento, California. She gives herself the name "Lady Bird" and longs to attend a prestigious college in "a city with culture" somewhere on the east coast, despite her family's financial struggles. Her mother, Marion, often tells her that she is ungrateful for what she has. Lady Bird and her best friend, Julie, join their school theater program, where Lady Bird develops a crush on classmate Danny O'Neill. This grows into a romantic relationship, and Lady Bird disappoints Marion by spending her last Thanksgiving before graduation with Danny's wealthy family instead of her own. After the opening night of "Merrily We Roll Along", their relationship ends when Lady Bird and Julie discover Danny kissing another boy in a bathroom stall.

At the behest of Marion, Lady Bird takes a job at a coffee shop; there, she meets Kyle (a student at the boys' school), and they begin dating. Lady Bird abandons Julie and ditches tryouts for the new play to bond with Jenna Walton, a popular girl, and they vandalize a nun's car. As Lady Bird grows closer to Kyle and Jenna, she gradually deserts Julie, and she drops out of the theater program. She confronts Danny, but consoles him after he begins sobbing and expresses his struggle in coming out, and they become friends again.

At a house party, while kissing, Kyle implies to Lady Bird that he has never had sex; he denies having said this when she later loses her virginity to him, which upsets her, and she cries in her mom's arms afterwards. When Lady Bird is suspended from school for speaking up at a pro-life assembly, Jenna tries to visit her at home, but discovers Lady Bird had claimed Danny's grandmother's house as hers in order to impress her. Lady Bird admits to the lie, and Jenna agrees to forgive her because of their mutual friendship with Kyle.

Lady Bird learns that her father Larry has lost his job and has been battling depression for years. She applies to East Coast colleges, despite Marion's insistence that the family cannot afford the fees, with the help of her father, who fills out her financial aid applications without Marion knowing. Lady Bird is accepted into UC Davis, but is upset because she feels it is too close to home. Learning she is on the wait list for a New York college, she does not share the news with her mother, fearing her response. Lady Bird sets out for her prom with Kyle, Jenna, and Jenna's boyfriend Jonah, but the other three decide to go to a house party instead. Lady Bird originally agrees, then changes her mind and speaks up, saying she actually does want to go to prom. Lady Bird asks them to drop her off at Julie's apartment, where the two rekindle their friendship and go to the prom together.

After graduation, Danny accidentally reveals Lady Bird's place on the wait list to Marion, who stops speaking to her daughter for the rest of the summer. On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Bird's father shares a cupcake with her, and she buys a pack of cigarettes, a scratch-off ticket, and an issue of Playgirl to celebrate reaching legal adulthood. Lady Bird learns she has been accepted into the New York college, and can afford tuition with financial aid with her father's help. Her parents take her to the airport, but Marion refuses to go inside to say goodbye. She has a change of heart and drives back, only to discover Lady Bird has already gone through security. She cries in her husband's arms, who consoles her that Lady Bird will come back.

Arriving in New York, Lady Bird finds several letters in her luggage; her mother had written and discarded them, but her father salvaged them. She begins using her birth name again, and is hospitalized after drinking heavily at a party. Leaving the hospital, she visits a Presbyterian church service and is moved to tears. She calls home and leaves an apologetic voicemail for her mother, thanking her for everything she has done for her.

Lady Bird is a film written and directed by Greta Gerwig. I just happen to watch the trailer my chance and decided to give a go for this film. After watching the film, I can say that I was quite satisfied watching this film.

Plot: The film chronicles the life of Christine (Lady Bird) a student of a Catholic school in the years 2002-03.

Story and direction: This film has most perfectly shown the way adolescents react to situations. The way the film has woven in the situations any adolescent faces is commendable. Lady Bird as a character has so many shades. We see her being naughty, stupid, funny and emotional. Then comes her friends. Jules is kind of that supporting friend you always have on your side no matter how wrong/right you are. Jenna is the kind of friend that you want to have because of her being so flamboyant. Then we have her so called boyfriends who were poles apart in their own different way. I being from a Catholic school could connect with the film more easily because I have been in that kind of environment. Even the teachers's characters were so beautifully woven into the story. I also liked the parents' character of Lady Bird. While the father who is mostly supportive in many of Lady Bird's ventures, the mother is the conscious one who is always sort of scared for her child. Even she reacting so rudely to Lady Bird, was a way of showing her love to her. And then the finale of the film, just put a good finish and a nice arc to Lady Bird. My only issue, and this could only be me, is that These kind of films are seen so often that one can predict as to what is going to happen.

Performances: Sairose Ronan once again just delivered an applauding performance as Lady Bird. I loved her in Brooklyn (that came out 2 years ago), and still she proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Laurie Metcalf was also great as the mother. Tracy Letts also delivers a good performance. Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet were also so distinct in the roles they played. Beanie Feldstein also provided some great support to Lady Bird's character.

Favorite Scene: It would be the scene where the sister calls Lady Bird in her room for putting the 'Just Married with Jesus' signboard on her car and also explains her that isn't love and attention the very same thing. That dialogue resonated with me. It's because that we seek love, that we do things that bring people's attention to us. And this dialogue also applies in real life to any person who seeks to be loved.

Verdict: This film is perfect for all adolescents who are going through this phase. It will very easily connect with them. Kudos to Greta Gerwig and team.

I am going with a 9/10.

As i watched, i couldn't help but think that the main character should be in middleschool. I guess it would be easier for me to sympathize with her then because I was screaming at the screen that LadyBird is too grown to be acting out like that. She was racist to her own brother!! No because wtf was that about? 😧The main character's relationship with her mom was so toxic. At first i was on her mother's side. I know how stressful it is to like not have money, but then her mom kept tearing down her daughter until the end. I get that you have trauma but why the f!ck do you work at a psych ward if you can't even work at yourself? And then at the end Ladybird calls her mom to tell her that she appreciates all that she's done for her. What has she done for you?? Tell you that you'll never go into a great school???

The MC is so unlikable. It's always about her. She was so unhappy for her bff who got the lead. The whole movie is just filled with unlikable people. Click on the article linked below to read a critique of Ladybird

A film directed by a ladybird herself comes a movie that made me laugh, cry and awe at the same time. It's one of those movies which makes so much sense to you and you literally see yourself in the same position as the protaginist. A beautifully directed film with a relatable storyline for us the middle class young people. This movie beautifully captures the adolescence cycle because of the top notch potrayal of Lady Bird by the charming and cheerful Saoirse Ronan. This is a must watch film for all the young people.

"But to be clear, "Lady Bird" is far from a perfect film, it's just not the mumblecore disaster you'd expect from Greta Gerwig — one of the mumblecore movement's prime progenitors. There are dozens of coming-of-age films that far outweigh this lightweight contender. Think "Kes" or "Murmur of the Heart." Greta Gerwig has a long way to go as a filmmaker before she can pretend to approach a Mike Leigh or a Louis Malle."
- Cole Smithey, The Smartest Film Critic in the World


Kes was directed by Ken Loach.