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Lady Bird
A 2017 Best Picture nominee, Lady Bird is a an engaging coming of age comedy-drama that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, but works thanks to sparkling direction and some on-target performances.
Saoirse Ronan, so memorable a few years ago in The Lovely Bones, lights up the screen as Christine "Lady Bird" Johnson, a free-spirited Sacramento high school senior who feels like a prisoner in her life, whether at her uptight Catholic school or at home with her rigid mother and condescending older brother criticizing everything she does. The story follows Lady Bird through her first real romances, her opportunity to becomes one of the "cool kids", and her number one mission: getting into a college as far away from Sacramento that she can.
Writer-director Greta Gerwig has crafted a screenplay that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, resulting in the occasional slow spot. The subplot revolving Lady Bird's father and his bouts with unemployment and depression weighs the story down a bit, but where Gerwig really triumphs is in the creation of this central character...we understand and absolutely adore Lady Bird from the moment we meet her. This is a character we understand and have to giggle at because as we watch some of her outrageous behavior, we realize that this young lady isn't really as miserable as she claims to be. This comes out clear in the very complex relationship she has with her mother. We understand completely as Lady Bird blames her mother for everything wrong in her life during one scene and defending her to anyone who says anything bad about her the next.
Director Gerwig also scores in creating a searingly realistic teenage atmosphere here...I love all the scenes in the proper Catholic school where every time Gerwig turned her camera on the students, there were always at least pair of students staring out the window or at each other or at anything than what they were supposed to be doing. I was also impressed that Gerwig didn't make all of Lady Bird's teachers heartless monsters...no Sister Mary discipline with the steel ruler. These people were sensitive and sincere about what they were doing and often took more from the students than they deserved. And on a lesser note, I was also impressed with the scenes revolving around the school musical...I loved that Gerwig had the class to have the school doing a Stephen Sondheim musical instead of Oklahoma!.
Gerwig shows a real talent as a filmmaker here and I found her direction slightly superior to her screenplay, I'm behind the Oscar nominations she received for her work, though I really don't see her winning. I also think Gerwig should remain behind the camera. My only exposure to her onscreen was the Russell Brand remake of Arthur and I thought she was dreadful. I think she may have found her niche in this business.
Ronan's unhinged performance earned her a Lead Actress nomination and Laurie Metcalf's beautifully understated performance as Lady Bird's mother deserves to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for which she's been nominated. Also loved Lucas Hedges as boyfriend Danny, Tracy Letts as Lady Bird's dad, and Beanie Feldstein as her BFF Julie. The film is beautifully photographed and Jon Brion's music perfectly frames the story. Fans of the movie Juno will have a head start here.
A 2017 Best Picture nominee, Lady Bird is a an engaging coming of age comedy-drama that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, but works thanks to sparkling direction and some on-target performances.
Saoirse Ronan, so memorable a few years ago in The Lovely Bones, lights up the screen as Christine "Lady Bird" Johnson, a free-spirited Sacramento high school senior who feels like a prisoner in her life, whether at her uptight Catholic school or at home with her rigid mother and condescending older brother criticizing everything she does. The story follows Lady Bird through her first real romances, her opportunity to becomes one of the "cool kids", and her number one mission: getting into a college as far away from Sacramento that she can.
Writer-director Greta Gerwig has crafted a screenplay that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, resulting in the occasional slow spot. The subplot revolving Lady Bird's father and his bouts with unemployment and depression weighs the story down a bit, but where Gerwig really triumphs is in the creation of this central character...we understand and absolutely adore Lady Bird from the moment we meet her. This is a character we understand and have to giggle at because as we watch some of her outrageous behavior, we realize that this young lady isn't really as miserable as she claims to be. This comes out clear in the very complex relationship she has with her mother. We understand completely as Lady Bird blames her mother for everything wrong in her life during one scene and defending her to anyone who says anything bad about her the next.
Director Gerwig also scores in creating a searingly realistic teenage atmosphere here...I love all the scenes in the proper Catholic school where every time Gerwig turned her camera on the students, there were always at least pair of students staring out the window or at each other or at anything than what they were supposed to be doing. I was also impressed that Gerwig didn't make all of Lady Bird's teachers heartless monsters...no Sister Mary discipline with the steel ruler. These people were sensitive and sincere about what they were doing and often took more from the students than they deserved. And on a lesser note, I was also impressed with the scenes revolving around the school musical...I loved that Gerwig had the class to have the school doing a Stephen Sondheim musical instead of Oklahoma!.
Gerwig shows a real talent as a filmmaker here and I found her direction slightly superior to her screenplay, I'm behind the Oscar nominations she received for her work, though I really don't see her winning. I also think Gerwig should remain behind the camera. My only exposure to her onscreen was the Russell Brand remake of Arthur and I thought she was dreadful. I think she may have found her niche in this business.
Ronan's unhinged performance earned her a Lead Actress nomination and Laurie Metcalf's beautifully understated performance as Lady Bird's mother deserves to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for which she's been nominated. Also loved Lucas Hedges as boyfriend Danny, Tracy Letts as Lady Bird's dad, and Beanie Feldstein as her BFF Julie. The film is beautifully photographed and Jon Brion's music perfectly frames the story. Fans of the movie Juno will have a head start here.