Lady Bird

Lady Bird (2017)

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith

Directed by Greta Gerwig

Written by Greta Gerwig

Summary (in 500 words or less): High school senior Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson is navigating the difficult landscape of going to Catholic school, dealing with an overprotective mother (Laurie Metcalf) whom she can never seem to please, trying to make her out-of-work father (Tracy Letts) a bit less depressed, and contemplating whether she's ready to lose her virginity to either the good Catholic boy (Lucas Hedges) or the dark edgy musician (Timothée Chalamet).  With her best friend Julie (Beanie Feldstein) by her side, Lady Bird faces the typical existential struggle of any high school senior -- what to do with the rest of her life.

• Lady Bird is a lovely, charming film.  Director Greta Gerwig takes her script and deftly balances the comedic and dramatic aspects of it.  Several laugh-out-loud moments punctuate the piece and Gerwig keeps the movie moving at a quick pace, making the most out of the film's ninety minute runtime...it doesn't overstay its welcome in the slightest.
• Saoirse Ronan has given us some fantastic performances -- her role in Brooklyn was my favorite in 2015 -- and her take on a typical high school student is no exception.  She's just a joy to watch -- so incredibly natural and easygoing, yet easily holding the audience's attention.  Saoirse isn't alone in being fantastic, however.  
• Laurie Metcalf is lovely as the prickly mom who wants the best for her daughter, but never feels as if she's living up to her potential.  
• Lucas Hedges, who I admittedly thought was slightly overpraised in 2016's Manchester on the Sea, proves that he has the acting chops to make it in the industry.  
• Stealing the show is Beanie Feldstein who has very few credits to her name, but proves capable of delivering humor and heartache.  I hope she has a future in the industry.
• Lady Bird is by no means reinventing any type of wheel.  It's a simplistic story, but it's told so exceptionally well that it doesn't really matter.  Many of Gerwig's films as an actress feel filled with a bit too much eccentricity to feel relatable.  That's not the case here as she has crafted a script that feels lived in and natural.
• Side Note:  I much appreciate the fact that film lovingly pokes fun at, yet appreciates the Catholic religion.  In fact, the concept of "faith" plays a key role in the film's final scenes and its kindness towards certain peoples' beliefs was a bit shocking frankly.  That's not to say that the film doesn't have moments where characters question things -- or even try and debunk the concept -- but it plays a nice balance.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+