Well, wasn't what I expected. Think I expected a lot more because of all of the hype that surrounded the film during the Oscar season. The performances were on point, but I just think the movie was a bit boring. It wasn't horrible, just not as good as I expected.
The film follows Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, played brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan, a high school senior trying desperately to escape Sacramento, "the Midwest of California". Lady Bird is a very passionate and somewhat combative girl who seems to lack a social filter at times. She also has a strange, argumentative relationship with her mother, played superbly, as usual, by Laurie Metcalf.
Lady Bird goes to a Catholic school because her brother (Jordan Rodrigues) has seen someone "knifed" outside of his public school. She seems to have only one true friend, Julie (Beanie Feldstein). Julie is overweight and very shy, but she and Lady Bird really understand each other. They both decide to try out for the school play and both are cast. That's when Lady Bird meets Danny (Lucas Hedges). It's instant puppy love in it's most innocent form.
As their relationship builds, Lady Bird finds that she is preparing herself for sex with Danny. However, after a betrayal, their budding romance is ended and Lady Bird almost instantly becomes involved with Kyle (Timothee Chalamet). Kyle plays guitar in a high school band and has a very mysterious persona. After an encounter at a party, Lady Bird and Kyle become an item. Following that, they have sex. Lady Bird, being a virgin, had believed that Kyle was also inexperienced, and is shocked to find out otherwise as soon as the short event ends.
With all of this happening, Lady Bird is fighting with her mother over college applications. Lady Bird has a passion to attend school on the east coast, while her mother longs for her to stay closer to home. Fortunately, Lady Bird's dad (Tracy Letts), agrees to help her complete some application forms for the schools she really wants to attend.
Also, with the company of Kyle, comes a new group of popular friends including the much more experienced Jenna (Odeya Rush). As Julie is pushed from the picture, Lady Bird becomes more combative both at school and at home. Luckily, it doesn't take long for Lady Bird to realize that these new friends are preventing her from doing things that make her happy, and on the night of the prom, Lady Bird leaves these morons and runs into the arms of Julie. The two friends attend prom together and start to talk about being apart.
Eventually, Lady Bird gets her acceptances and leaves for college. Once she's away, she realizes how much she really loved Sacramento. She knows that her path isn't in Sacramento, but that her heart always will be.
This film is a modernized coming of age story that just missed the mark. It focuses more on the relationship between mother and daughter, but that too feels a little flat. I honestly do not understand the hype behind the film, but each performance was delivered quite well. This film is acceptable for anyone 12 or older.
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