Lady Bird-Greta Gerwig

Coming of age films are a dime a dozen. Most of them are pretty formulaic and follow a simple pattern that is generally unrealistic and leaves the viewer with no characters or scenarios to relate to.

The comedy trend of the 80's was rekindled in the late 90's with films like American Pie, Varsity Blues, Can't Hardly Wait, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Never Been Kissed. Then there were a few of the more serious ilk like American Beauty, Cruel Intentions, and She's All That.

I'm sure there are more that can be lumped into the category, but they're all interchangeable for the most part. Of the aforementioned, the only one that is near and dear to my heart would have to be American Beauty. The rest were OK for a giggle or two here and there, but not much else.

Strolling down the memory lane of High School for me doesn't exactly arouse pleasant evocations of the past that were choc-full of worry-free times like the silver screen projected. On the contrary, at the end of my Freshman year was the beginning of my parents divorce. In a city full of rich kids our family resided way far down on the totem pole of prosperity and then what little we did have was gobbled up by the lawyers. I didn't get my first car until a few weeks before I graduated and the car I did get was a 1992 multicolored Chevrolet Cavalier. And up until the time I received that majestic automobile, I was forced to walk everywhere while kids around me drove to school in Mercedes Benz's, Jack Roush model Mustang's, and Cadillac Escalade's.

Once my parents split was absolute, we left our house on First Street and then began to constantly rotate between cramped apartments and renting unfamiliar dwellings that other people owned.

Handouts were few and far in-between and watching my parents love for one another dissolve into animosity was constantly jarring.

These things are written not to spin a woe-is-me tale, nor to embarrass my parents by any means, but only as a relatable conduit to show my appreciation for a teen-centered film like Lady Bird that finally "got it".

For a while there growing up, I just supposed that maybe our upbringing was a unique case of hard luck in a town where prosperity came naturally to every other family beside our own. But then a film like Lady Bird comes a long and assured me that that wasn't the case.

I've done enough charity work to now know the cold hard fact that hard times do not discriminate. Any disagreements I had with either of my parents during those tough times I chalk up to the difficult throes they were enduring. In Lady Bird, though, I could completely empathize with the main characters persistent instability with relationships of every kind. The constant bickering with her mom, the betrayal (and betraying) of friends, lack of prosperity, her fathers depression, failed relationships.

Those teen years weren't easy to navigate when I was growing up and I can't imagine that they've calmed down much since then for kids these days either.

I really liked Greta Gerwig's honest writing and I was thoroughly impressed with Saorise Ronan's ability as an actress. Before Lady Bird, I had only seen Saorise in a small portion of a film that I didn't care for called The Host, so I was way late to her party, but it came as no surprise to me that she has been nominated for a slew of Oscars. This was also my first time seeing Timothee Chalamat in a prominent role as well, who I also thought was good.

*On a side-note, this does make me keenly aware that I need to include more recent titles into my rotation, as there is a fantastic crop of talent out there that are doing some amazing things I seem to be missing out on.*

Laurie Metcalf continues to age like fine wine and I thought she was great as Lady Birds emotionally abusive mother, who's affection and support were conditionally given only if Lady Bird managed to keep her balance on that razor-thin tight-rope of unrealistic expectations parents seem to expect at times out of their children.

Greta's insistence at depicting her own hard times with such an unapologetic pen won me over and I also loved the low use of make-up and unabashed acne on the teens faces that every other Hollywood film would rather pretend doesn't exist at that age.

Lady Bird obviously isn't for everyone. I grew up in a household that had nothing but rusty butter knives to cut the mustard with in a town that enjoyed the regular diet of caviar being served to them on silver spoons. Our hard times were aggrandized by those who went to bed with affluence and woke up with prosperity every day. Unless you know this feeling whole-heartedly than I highly doubt Lady Bird will be as effective for you as it was for me.

Stars: ****1/2

Verdict: Watch

Cousins: American Beauty, This Boys Life, Little Miss Sunshine, Garden State, A Good Person, Ghost World