Lady Bird

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird was a sure-handed, touching, and sincere coming-of-age story anchored by strong performances from a luminous and naturally charismatic Saoirse Ronan and an emotionally powerfully yet restrained Laurie Metcalf. The authentically complex mother-daughter (parent-child) relationship portrayed by Metcalf and Ronan was the glue that held the narrative together, and kudos to Gerwig for so aptly capturing that in all its angsty mess. Lady Bird deserved all its nominations and hype, and - with all due respect to Alison Janney - Metcalf has been robbed thus far.

This film was a tremendous success for an almost first time director and although unlike other competitors - Dunkirk or The Shape of Water - it lacked technical complexity, Gerwig was absolutely successful in effectively telling a story. And one with a heart, no less. Gerwig’s pacing of the story was fantastic and although the narrative went along at a breezy pace, it never felt rushed and important milestones are allowed to breathe. The fact that it was semi-autobiographical definitely helped its authenticity. Maybe, one wee problem was the soundtrack which was just a tad too on the nose.

Ronan was phenomenal. She, in my opinion, is a more exciting actress to watch than her fellow multi-nominated peer Jennifer Lawrence. From her ground breaking role in Atonement, to the much overlooked Hannah, and her heartbreaking turn in Brooklyn, Ronan has repeatedly shown us that she is an actress that wholly inhabits her character. Her characters never fail to elicit an empathetic response from the audience. And here, she plays a 17-going-18 teenager with such ease. It was almost as if she herself had the same very experiences, and maybe she did. Nonetheless, Ronan was positively shining here. It is easy to play an annoying teenager, but it is extremely difficult to portray one without being a bitch. And even harder to make the audience fall in love.

Then we have Metcalf. Her final scene itself should have nabbed her every, single, damn Best Supporting Actress award. It killed me. Her role was not showy unlike Janney’s but her scenes were truly amazing. She had such great chemistry with Ronan, and when both of them are together, the screen electrifies until you just look forward to when their next scene will be. And again, her final scene - which was possibly the only scene that Ronan was not in - was amazing!

Of course, we cannot discuss the cast of “Lady Bird” without mentioning the It Boy of the moment: Timothée Chalamet. Let’s just say, Chalamet was very lucky that he landed the role in Call Me By Your Name, because in this film he was entirely forgettable and interchangeable.

No one seemed to be talking much about last year’s surprising Best Supporting Actor nominee Lucas Hedges. But both his performances here and in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri easily outstrip Chalamet. Hedges is a more exciting actor to keep an eye out for.

Lady Bird was such a fun film to watch. You laugh, you cry, you cringe and you gasp, and in the end you leave with possibly a new found respect for your mother/parents.