Lady Bird (2017) Review by: Tristan Bunn
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is an instant classic for everyone! If you’re lucky, in a given year a film will come out that is able to captivate all audiences with its brilliance in every film category...Lady Bird is that film. This is Great Gerwig’s solo directorial debut and it is a cinematic triumph! Gerwig also wrote the screenplay and it will be a tragedy if she’s not coming close to Oscar gold in February. Lady Bird fires on all cylinders and is instantly one of the greatest coming of age films of all time. However, it’s much more than that.
This film is so incredibly authentic, and the script is so wonderful, it makes every character feel like a living human being and creates a space where a real story can blossom. Saoirse Ronan is perfect as the titular, and always aberrant “Lady Bird.” Her accent is real, her delivery in the comedic aspect is perfect, and her scars are deep, letting her authenticity rise to the surface. Ronan also might be grasping Oscar gold if there is any justice in this world. What I loved about her portrayal is that she makes this character so real and damaged, yet relatable and always likable regardless of her difficulties. This is one of those films that doesn’t feel like a film. I didn’t feel like I was in the cinema. I felt like I was peering through a looking glass (one carefully constructed by Greta Gerwig) into the lives of these human beings, and that’s what I loved most about this wonderful piece of art.
While we are discussing acting, I would need to give up reviewing films if I failed to mention the brilliant and impassioned performance of Laurie Metcalf. I’ve always been a big Metcalf fan, but this destroys anything she’s ever done before. I was moved to tears at moments just because of her performance, and because you can see the struggle within her through her eyes alone. This is definitely a coming of age film, but it’s really about a mother/daughter relationship, and that’s where “Lady Bird” shines the brightest. Parents love their children, but sometimes they might not know how to show it. That is a topic we’ve seen in cinema plenty, but never as authentic or as touching as it is here. Lady Bird hits the beats you want in a coming of age film, but it does so uniquely, and often in a profound way.
I’ve mentioned that Gerwig’s script is delightful and brings these characters and situations to life with ease, but I don’t want to overlook her directing. She creates a gorgeous aesthetic, thanks in part to the costume design and her DP, Sam Levy. Gerwig knows how to frame a scene and pull the audience in while in the middle of a conversation without us feeling lost. She allows the audience to live in this world, so everything works flawlessly. I truly can’t wait to see what Gerwig does next.
Lady Bird is a cinematic success, and I implore everyone to go and see it because I don’t believe this film lands in a specific demographic. I was going to give this film an A, but if Lady Bird can’t get a perfect score, then what can?
Grade: A+
