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A30 PEOPLE/ARTS
Friday 3 November 2017
Review: ‘Lady Bird’ shows a

perfect slice of teenage life

By LINDSEY BAHR discovered that patron Hedges and Timothee
AP Film Writer saint of California girls. She Chalamet as two very dif-
Lady Bird is obsessed with hasn’t discovered a lot of ferent kinds of high school
place. Her place in the things — clove cigarettes, boyfriends; Lois Smith as a
world, in her Catholic high Jim Morrison, what “the wise and funny nun; Jake
school, in her school play, deuce” is, how to drink li- McDorman as an impossi-
in her own family and in her quor, or that her school has bly charming teacher; and
unglamorous hometown of an annual musical — and Stephen McKinley Hen-
Sacramento (“the Midwest doesn’t yet know how to derson as a melodramatic
of California”) and the look out for both herself drama coach are among
This image released by A24 Films shows Saoirse Ronan in a even more unglamorous and others too, whether the standouts. But it is Feld-
scene from “Lady Bird.” part she lives in. She craves it’s her nurse mother, Mari- stein’s performance as Julie
Associated Press sophistication in a way that on (Laurie Metcalf), or her is its own kind of sleeper tri-
she can’t quite put into best friend, Julie (Beanie umph, and one that makes
words or actions, beyond Feldstein). you sit up and take notice
a vague desire to go to an All she can see is what she of an excellent actress who
East Coast college, but is doesn’t have, so she care- had up until this point basi-
certain that whatever she lessly skips over the tiny tri- cally only been used as a
has in her middle-class ex- umphs of her friend, and punchline (see: “Neighbors
istence in 2002 isn’t it. is blind to the fact that her 2: Sorority Rising”).
Part Angela Chase, Lind- mom might actually have “Lady Bird” feels like a
say Weir, Jo March and her best interests in mind, or companion piece to both
Anne Shirley, she is selfish that her father Larry (Tracy “Mistress America” and
and self-centered in that Letts) might be struggling, “Frances Ha,” both of
very particular way that financially and mentally. which Gerwig co-wrote
teenage girls, who can’t It’s these tiny and painfully with Noah Baumbach and
yet comprehend that this honest details that make which he directed. Left to
is a phase that might pass, up Gerwig’s rich and lov- her own devices, Gerwig
can be. And she is, quite ingly composed film, which has arrived and solidified
simply, one of the more is bursting with wit, human- her place as one of the
achingly realistic teenage ity, joy and truth. most invigorating, obser-
characters that we’ve had Ronan adds another su- vant and authentic voices
the pleasure of meeting in perb performance to her in movies today with a di-
a movie. already stunning resume rector’s acumen to match.
Played by the Irish-Ameri- as this somewhat unlikable There are a lot of things rot-
can actress Saoirse Ronan yet empathetic character ting right now in the world
(“Brooklyn,” ‘’Atone- in flux, who will make you and in Hollywood, and, ba-
ment”), Lady Bird and the cry, laugh and cringe. But sically, we should be espe-
film bearing her name is it’s the wonderfully drawn cially grateful when some-
the semi-autobiographical supporting characters who thing as lovely as “Lady
creation of actress and truly bring this world to life Bird” comes along.
writer Greta Gerwig in her and make this film such an “Lady Bird,” an A24 release,
solo directing debut. “Lady undeniable pleasure to live is rated R by the Motion Pic-
Bird “ chronicles one year in for a too-brief 93 minutes. ture Association of America
in the life of its titular char- Metcalf is operating at the for “language, sexual con-
acter, whose real name is top of her game as Marion, tent, brief graphic nudity
Christine McPherson, from and there are too many and teen partying.” Run-
the start of her senior year delightful side characters ning time: 93 minutes. Four
of high school to freshman to do justice here: Lucas stars out of four.q
year of college and all of
its beautiful banalities —
sex, prom, money, grades,
boys, nuns and that gnaw-
ing dissatisfaction that has
plagued every modern
17-year-old who’d rather
die than admit that things
might be OK.
The film begins with a
quote from Joan Didion:
“Anybody who talks about
California hedonism has
never spent a Christmas in
Sacramento.”
It’s the kind of quote Lady
Bird would love to think
she’s the only one who
understands, but the truth
is, she has likely not yet