• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Movie Review – Lady Bird (2017)

February 16, 2018 by Amie Cranswick

Lady Bird, 2017.

Written and Directed by Greta Gerwig.
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Odeya Rush, Kathryn Newton, Andy Buckley, Daniel Zovatto, Jordan Rodrigues, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith.

SYNOPSIS:

In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.

There’s a dirtied, muddied elegance to Greta Gerwig’s fantastically bold and personal debut Lady Bird, a coming-of-age story to the tune of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” The character all appear real, the camera is unimposing, as if the audience are snooping upon arguments between mother and daughter, and the frenzied, frankly hysterical first sexual experience. Gerwig has managed to weave a tale at once incredibly personal, at once entirely universal in one broad stroke.

A spectacular Saoirse Ronan is Gerwig surrogate Catherine “Lady Bird” McPherson – Lady Bird her self-given name “given by me, to me,” – living in Sacramento, “the Midwest of California.” Her father Larry (Tracy Letts) is financially strung and suffering from depression, whilst her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf in a career best performance) balances a fine line between friend and foe with Lady Bird.

At school, she too treads the line between popular kid and anonymous inbetweener. Her best friend Julie (a delightful Beanie Feldstein) gives her the opportunity to break free of the tough shackles of Catholic school whilst her charming if vanilla boyfriend Danny (an again delightful Lucas Hedges) reels her back in.

The film hits all the major beats of coming-of-age stories: first boyfriends, losing your virginity (to a brilliantly pompous Timothée Chalamet – imagine Elio turned up to 11), attending your first major party, petty arguments with your best friend.

But these are all momentary footnotes. Gerwig very deliberately shifts focus towards Marion and Lady Bird’s fractious, if deeply heartfelt relationship. Where the film gravitates towards the larger stereotypical moments of teenage-hood, it’s at its most bold when dissecting the warring relationship of a mother/daughter.

Laurie Metcalf is wonderful as Marion, her hopeless, occasionally hopeful aspirations for her daughter a tragic reminder of what she had to conform to. Their relationship is never written in broad strokes, it’s neither bitter not sweet, somewhere between the two. An argument in a thrift store swings wildly from accusatory to loving upon Marion picking out a dress for Lady Bird.

Tracy Letts too is fantastic, his down-on-his-luck father battling with depression and a need to constantly have a smile on his face.

But it’s always Ronan. She has the gravitas of an actress far beyond her age. The confidence she exudes – she hopes to join the Mathletes but isn’t good enough “so far” as she so clearly announces – is matched by a rare fragility. A moment book noting her relationship with Marion is a stark reminder of a mother’s hopes for a daughter yearning for something different. “I want you to be the best version of yourself that you can be,” is followed by a stunning sad “what if this is the best version?”

A quick note on the use of Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River,” which is spectacular. The sort of moment that has you punching the air in giddy excitement.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Thomas Harris

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Thomas Harris Tagged With: Andy Buckley, Beanie Feldstein, Daniel Zovatto, greta gerwig, Jordan Rodrigues, Kathryn Newton, Lady Bird, Laurie Metcalf, Lois Smith, Lucas Hedges, Odeya Rush, saoirse ronan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Timothee Chalamet, Tracy Letts

About Amie Cranswick

Amie Cranswick has been part of Flickering Myth’s editorial and management team for over a decade. She has a background in publishing and copyediting and has served as Editor-in-Chief of FlickeringMyth.com since 2023.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Cobra: Sylvester Stallone and Cannon Films Do Dirty Harry

The Bonkers Comedies of Andrew McCarthy

10 Horror Movies That Avoided the Director Sophomore Slump

Nowhere Left to Hide: The Rise of Tech-Savvy Killers in Horror

Dust in the Eye: Ten Tear-Jerking Moments in Action Movies

10 Great Modern Horror Classics You Have To See

Exploring George A. Romero’s Non-Zombie Movies

Lock, Stock and The Essential Guy Ritchie Movies

The Best UK Video Nasties Of All Time

Rooting For The Villain

Top Stories:

Crazy Cult 90s Horror Movies You May Have Missed

Dune 3 gets official title as production begins

Movie Review – Daniela Forever (2025)

Netflix shares Wednesday season 2 trailer and promo images

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

Great Tarantino-esque Movies You Need To See

New trailer for Netflix mystery-thriller series Untamed starring Eric Bana

7 Underrated World War II Romance Movies

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Villainy of Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman

Great Movies Guaranteed To Creep You Out

The (00)7 Most Underrated James Bond Movies

10 Crazy Cult Horror Movies You Need To See

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket