“Lady Bird” is a coming-of-age story that focuses on a high school senior’s struggle to find a place of belonging and her tense relationship with her mother. The story strays away from far-fetched circumstances and transforms its characters through realistic adolescent situations. The main character is loosely based off of writer/director Greta Gerwig’s childhood experiences at a Catholic school in Sacramento and it shows in the vividly detailed Lady Bird character as well as the characters that surround her. It is like watching life unfold before your eyes. Some of the content is strong, but it matches the language and circumstances of teenagers who are trying to fit in. I actually gained most of my appreciation and understanding of the film during a conversation with my wife the following day. I had trouble relating to the characters until she described the film as “her version of ‘Boyhood.’” While my personal experiences didn’t align with Lady Bird’s, the film realistically depicts life as a high school girl in the same way that “Boyhood” walked through many of my adolescent struggles (to which my wife couldn’t relate). I still find “Boyhood” to be a superior film because of its incredible execution of a nearly impossible undertaking as we literally see the characters grow up over the course of 12 years, but “Lady Bird” works as a great companion piece through its female perspective of finding yourself. There is a painstaking attention to detail in making this film feel like real life. Even seemingly insignificant moments like when Julie meets Mr. Bruno’s pregnant wife resonate with our memories of adolescent struggles. The key to any film that centers on everyday life is raw, realistic acting. The film establishes this with Saoirse Ronan (who performed without makeup to show a real version of herself), Laurie Metcalf’s honest portrayal of motherhood with a frustrating teen, Tracy Letts’ endearing father-daughter relationship, and Stephen McKinley Henderson’s veteran acting ability. I didn’t love Ronan’s performance as much as I loved her in “Brooklyn” so she isn’t getting my vote for the Best Actress Oscar, but she is still incredibly impressive. She is proving to be one of the finest actresses of our generation and she is only 23 years old. Her chemistry with Metcalf would make you think that they are actually related and each of their abilities to turn on a dime from devastation to elation and back again makes their Oscar nominations well-deserved. I also loved the performance of Beanie Feldstein who embodies that unconditionally loving friend that we’ve all been able to rely on in our worst times. “Lady Bird” doesn’t have action sequences or big twists, but it does have comedy, sadness, and a transformation of characters through everyday circumstances to which we can all relate.
[Pictured: This image screams "high school!" Perfect casting and amazing acting]
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