1. Lady Bird and her mother - I think a lot of women can connect to this story and this character. Greta Gerwig put great detail in the "feeling" of the movie - the music, the tone, and the dialogue was spot-on for a teenager growing up in the early 2000s. I graduated from high school in '99, so I wasn't that far behind. And yet, I don't really connect to Lady Bird at all. In typical Gerwig form, I find her to be incredibly entitled, spoiled, and narcissistic. The part that makes this different than typical Gerwig is that she actually learns this about herself (and possibly works to be a better person? We can only hope). This realization comes in the form of a very tumultuous relationship with her mother. Yes, her mother can be a little frustrating at times, but overall, she's a GREAT mother who is trying her best to take care of her family - AND she has even taken in other children who need help, proving that she is a good person. But, Lady Bird sees her as an embarrassment, her life isn't as good as others and she blames her mother for this. It's difficult to watch, considering my own relationship with my mother. God, I hope I never made her feel worthless, and like I didn't appreciate all of the sacrifices that she made just to make sure that I didn't go hungry. I don't think I was as bratty as Lady Bird, but I know my mom and I didn't exactly get along when I was in my late teens. The mother/daughter relationship is the heart of the movie, and it felt real. I didn't feel a connection, but it made me feel angry, and I think that was part of the intent. Laurie Metcalf is such a great actress who has gone YEARS as underrated, but this year, she will most certainly receive an Oscar nomination, and maybe even the win for her portrayal of Lady Bird's mother. I saw her on Broadway last year in "Misery", and she was excellent. It's exciting to see her finally gain the recognition she has deserved for so many years.
2. Lady Bird and her best friend - This is another big plot point of the movie that really struck me as hard to watch (in a good way). In the same way that Lady Bird treats her mother, she dismisses her best friend the second that someone more popular shows interest in being her friend. I just can't connect to it. It's just another example of her narcissism, and let's be honest, downright bitchiness. It's sad that young women feed into this culture of popularity and snootiness. Lady Bird attends a Catholic School, another plot point that I can't connect with (and also, I always thought Catholic Schools were private and therefore expensive? Poor kids went to public schools and had to walk through the ghetto to get there. This is another example of me thinking Greta Gerwig might not know what "poor" means). While she's there, she discovers a passion by joining the Drama club - and this is absolutely perfect. I was, unfortunately, a Drama major in college - and I did not fit in at all, because by all accounts they act exactly the way the kids in this movie do. Attention-seeking, clicky, and worst of all, they acted superior to people who were more reserved. Lady Bird IS a Drama club kid. It's interesting to watch her reject her own identity in favor of someone more popular, to destroy friendships just to experience what she deems as a better life. It's all done very well, and I appreciate that she learns from this, but I think it would have been a stronger lesson if her best friend moved on and didn't think twice about it.
3. Lady Bird and Christine - Lady Bird is Christine, in case you haven't seen the film. It's never explained why she insists on everyone calling her "Lady Bird" other than her need to be a pain in the ass. Saoirse Ronan is wonderful. She has been one of my favorite young actresses since Atonement (the first half of that movie is still one of my favorite movies ever). Last year, she stunned with Brooklyn, but I was convinced that she would top that performance. While I don't think Lady Bird is as great as everyone says (it broke records for the best reviewed movie EVER on Rotten Tomatoes. LOLOLOLOL), Saoirse is deserving of all the praise. She struggled for a little bit in her career (The Host is one of the worst movies of all time), she is on a career high now, though, and I'm so excited to see what she does next. While I can hear her Irish accent in everything she does, my movie partner (who doesn't really watch movies very often - can you even imagine???) had no idea she was Irish. She's a co-worker and came running into work the next day exclaiming that she saw "Lady Bird doing an interview and she could barely understand her". Not only did she play a convincing teenager from California, she really gave the character dimension and personality. I don't really sympathize with her, but I do empathize with her.
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