Lady Bird: The Truth Presented in the Uncomfortable

By Hailey Lotz

April 29, 2022

If you want a happy, cute, comfort movie to watch passively, you shouldn’t pick Lady Bird. This movie will demand your attention, as it challenges the typical young adult film. Providing honest insight into the complexities of actual teen’s lives, Lady Bird will leave you emotional and slightly-bummed, aligning with its realistic depictions of life.

This humorous, coming of age film covers many uncomfortable topics common in teens’ lives without any glamor or romanticism, standing out from the neverending sea of YA movies where the protagonist’s biggest struggle is picking which boy she loves most. From the cost of college to body image, this film does depicts a real teenage experience, earning it numerous awards, including the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy.

Released in 2017 and set in 2002, Lady Bird follows an eccentric high school senior, Christine (Saoirse Ronan), who calls herself “Lady Bird.” Wishing everything were different, Lady Bird longs to go to college on the east coast “where culture is,” far from her hometown of Sacramento, California. Her mother, an overworked nurse, insists on Lady Bird going to college locally. While grappling with the strain of college admissions, she also must handle tense relations with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), the difficulties of her family’s financial situation, and friendship and romantic struggles that demand her to discover what she holds most dear.

Although this young adult film documents the value of friendship and self-expression, the most notable message it conveys is that of mother-daughter relationships. It depicts all the complexities and gray areas in the interactions between teenage girls and their moms; although they have huge fights, they still love each other. In one particularly memorable scene, Lady Bird says she knows her mother loves her, but she asks if she likes her. And, sticking true to the theme, her mom gives an illusive answer. From beginning to end, the movie is blatantly raw and honest, never painting anything as “picture perfect.”

This honesty often develops uncomfortable situations for the viewer - but in those moments there is also humor. The awkward and dry dialogue between characters makes the movie funny, more so than the situations themselves. This also makes the film relatable, since most teens are more often amused by their friends than absurd events. While the dialogue, clearly meant to amuse viewers, sometimes landed flat, there were many times I found myself laughing at the words I heard.

Serving as Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, this film successfully pushes viewers into new territory while keeping them engaged with humor. With clear character development throughout, this movie documents a story about setbacks and growth, fights and (semi)makeups, and loss and discovery.

Run time: 94 minutes. Rating: R. 8/10 stars.