Review of Lady Bird (2017) by Mmadnessgames — 23 Apr 2018

This is a very well produced film with great performances, but it feels like something I've already seen dozens of times.

There are elements that don't fit in, tonally. Lady Bird's best friend, Julie, is camp and goofy. The sports coach that is called in to replace the drama teacher reminds me of a children's cartoon.

There's not a lot of subtlety.

There are a lot of cliches.

The gay boyfriend segment was too predictable.

Laurie Metcalf, Saorise Ronan and Tracy Letts are great.

I don't think I'm the intended audience for this film. I'm a 35 year old man and maybe at this point, I've seen too many films. I need something a bit different. If I was a young woman who hadn't watched thousands of films then this might blow me away. I could see that happening. But, it honestly didn't have much impact.

I prefer films that reveal more. There is a deeper layer to the main character that I'd like to see explored, warts and all. Her relationship with her mother and her father are shown, not dissected. This is a portrait, rather than a study. It is a snapshot of a confused young woman leaving the nest and trying to find her way in life.

There have been much better coming-of-age flicks over the past couple of years.

I can't help but think that this got more attention than it deserved because of the current cultural climate in the West. It has 94/100 from critics...?

It's not a bad film, by any means.

And, it's an impressive directorial debut.

But... it isn't a masterpiece.