Review of Lady Bird (2017) by Mackenzie O — 11 Dec 2017

Brilliantly written. Hilarious and heartbreaking. Without a doubt the best movie I saw in 2017.

'Lady Bird' brought to the table a coming-of-age story that doesn't embrace every single cliche about growing up in the United States, particularly California. It was so refreshing to see a story about a teenager that embraces her dry sense of humor and her creativity. I truly enjoyed Saoirse Ronan's performance alongside Laurie Metcalf. If I wasn't aware that Ms. Ronan was raised in Ireland and spoke with a thick accent off-screen, I genuinely would have believed she was from Sacramento.

Greta Gerwig presented us with a beautiful story that willfully acknowledges the strains of growing up in the early 2000's while living on a shoestring budget with a dysfunctional family. The angst was believable, the suppressed sexual tension between the students was just like being back in high school again, and the beginning of her college journey could bring a tear to anyone's eye. Gerwig gave us one of the most realistic portrayals of a coming-of-age story I've ever had the pleasure of seeing.

I applaud every single member of this cast and crew. Such a beautiful movie with a great message that's conveyed in a brilliant manner. Not to mention one of the most aesthetically beautiful films about California in the last 20 years. The fact that there wasn't one shot of Los Angeles made this film so much more believable and fun.

I've already seen it three times in theaters.