Lady Bird (2017)
About This Movie
A headstrong teenager in Sacramento navigates her senior year of high school, clashing with her mother, falling in and out of love, applying to colleges on the East Coast, and trying to figure out who she wants to become. Greta Gerwig's screenplay captures the specificity of adolescence with such precision that scenes feel like recovered memories rather than fiction. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf's mother-daughter dynamic is one of the most truthful ever depicted on film.
Why It's a Classic
Gerwig's solo directorial debut earned five Oscar nominations and announced a major filmmaking voice whose perspective on female adolescence had been largely absent from mainstream American cinema. The film's genius lies in its refusal to sentimentalize or demonize any character; even at their worst moments, Lady Bird and her mother are both recognizably, frustratingly human. Ronan's performance captures the way teenagers try on identities like clothing, discarding each one the moment it no longer fits, with a naturalism that makes every scene feel spontaneous. The film understands something profound about the relationship between a place and the person you become while living there, and its love letter to Sacramento is also a love letter to the idea that where you come from shapes you even when you are desperate to leave.
Fun Fact
Gerwig wrote the screenplay over several years, producing nearly 400 pages of material that she eventually distilled into the final 135-page shooting script. The scene where Lady Bird throws herself out of a moving car to escape her mother's lecture was filmed on the first day of production, and Ronan insisted on performing the stunt herself.
Parent Note
The film depicts teen sexual situations including a brief scene of losing virginity, underage drinking, occasional strong language, and the emotional intensity of a strained mother-daughter relationship. The portrayal of teenage relationships, including disappointment and manipulation, is handled with honesty. Deeply relatable for teens, especially those in the process of leaving home.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 2017
- Type
- 🎬 Movie
- Category
- Coming of Age
- Age Group
- Teens (Ages 14–17)