Written by Clarissa Lam
Everything about Lady Bird seems to challenge itself, a wildness that in this case, is completely natural and refreshing. Lady Bird, with her red hair conflicting with her catholic schoolgirl uniform, goes on a typical teenage girl’s journey of self discovery. While the general concept is nothing new, the execution is.
Greta Gerwig has created a character any teenage girl can relate to. The movie takes place in Sacramento in the early 2000s at a time in Lady Bird’s life where she is making decisions about college, arguing with her mother, sifting through friend and boyfriend drama, experiencing sex, and trying to discover what it means to be an adult. Her experiences are complicated, and her feelings about them even more so. Her whole internal debate is entertaining to watch, but also incredibly realistic as anyone can relate to the struggles of figuring out how they want to live their life, who they want to live it with, and where in the world they can truly be their best selves.
While the story has a few laugh-out-loud moments, the real humor is just in the witty spirit of the characters. Nothing about Lady Bird’s character goes out of her way to constantly make people laugh, but her rebellious nature found in such a calm setting is humorous in itself. Lady Bird does things with a nonchalant ease. On her 18th birthday, she goes to a liquor store, and buys a pack of cigarettes and a pornographic magazine to celebrate. Such a simple scene captures Lady Bird’s entire dilemma: who is she, and when does she enter the world of adulthood?
Along with the great characters and script, the time period of the film (early 2000s) also brings back feelings of nostalgia. Even for me, a sixteen year old, the music and the style bring back memories of my early childhood, and are sure to bring back feelings of nostalgia for any older moviegoers as well. Overall, the witty dialogue, strong individual characters, and trip down memory lane make for a nice twist to an already well known storyline. Go see Lady Bird in theaters now!
Lady Bird
Comedy / Drama
Rated: R
Written By: Greta Gerwig
Directed By: Greta Gerwig