Lady Bird

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Lady Bird Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Touching, funny, personal, and mature coming-of-age comedy.

R 2017 93 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 23 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 80 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Lady Bird is the directorial debut of popular indie actress Greta Gerwig, who tells a semi-autobiographical story based on the time between when she finished high school and left for college (Saoirse Ronan plays the character based on Gerwig). It's a wonderful, funny, touching, and balanced movie, but only for older teens due to the mature content. Teen characters smoke pot and drink; in one scene, a teen drinks so much that she winds up in the hospital. A teen girl has sex for the first time: She's shown sitting astride her partner, who finishes quickly. Nothing graphic is shown in that scene, but another brief shot includes a quick glimpse of a Playgirl magazine that features photos of fully naked men. Same-sex and opposite-sex teen couples kiss. Language is quite strong, with several uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "c--t," and "bitch." Violence isn't an issue, but there's a lot of arguing and some brief, spoken violent imagery.

Community Reviews

doctora
doctora Adult
May 30, 2022
age 16+

A few really great moments...

The accolades and fascination with this film is a reflective testament of the value system surrounding this film. I found the film to be well acted and it "felt real". At the same time I did not find any character endearing, nor did it engross me like a car crash. What is wondrous is how a few key moments were well staged and meticulously done so that the humanity of the moment reverberated to the viewer. And it is always a pleasure to see Metcalf chew the scenery.
1 person found this helpful.
cupcake_gal11
cupcake_gal11 Adult
November 30, 2020
age 14+

Thoughtful journey of a teen girl

Lady Bird is a coming-of-age movie about a high school senior and the difficult relationship she has with her mother. Lady spends a lot of the film trying on her own version of adulthood (eg. her first job, dating & sex, drinking, bailing on friends). Each of these new ventures has right-sized consequences that follow. Financial problems cause strain on her family. Her father loses his job and her mom works long hours. This tension causes her and her mother argue throughout. There are scenes of her being rude, swearing, and speaking back to her mother and times when her mother also stumbles. There are also touching scenes where they are both able to be kind and vulnerable with each other. Lady Bird wishes she could escape the dreary reality of her parents for her more fantastical vision of the future. She applies to college far away which drives a wedge between her and her mother that is seemingly irreparable.
See all 23 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In LADY BIRD, Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), who's nicknamed herself "Lady Bird," is finishing her senior year at a faith-affiliated private high school in Sacramento, Calif., and preparing to head to college. Her father (Tracy Letts) is unemployed, and the family doesn't have money to send her anywhere fancy. Meanwhile, Lady Bird and her mom (Laurie Metcalf) are fighting regularly -- about money and nearly everything else. At school, Lady Bird joins the theater club to meet a boy (Lucas Hedges) she likes, but it doesn't work out. Then she becomes attracted to a musician and his cool friends and is tempted to leave behind her nerdy best friend, Julie (Beanie Feldstein). All the while, Lady Bird -- who can't wait to get out of her hometown -- can't seem to stop getting into trouble. As she cooks up a drastic plan to get to New York, she starts to realize that home is where the heart is.

Is It Any Good?

A striking directorial debut by Greta Gerwig, this tender, semi-autobiographical love letter to Gerwig's hometown explores the gulf between childhood and adulthood with touching, witty humor. Gerwig first gained acclaim for writing and acting in "mumblecore" indies; she seemed to find her own voice and persona in films like Damsels in Distress and Frances Ha. Now she brings that persona, fully formed, to the nuanced, wonderful Lady Bird. (It resembles Frances Ha, which she co-wrote, in many good ways.) And, standing in for the director on-screen, Oscar nominee Ronan perfectly adopts Gerwig's trademark sweet/scatterbrain delivery, sprinkling it with soul and humanity.

The movie is more about a time, a state of mind, and an emotional place than it is a story, and Gerwig allows scenes to wander off track in a delightful way. Even if they have nothing to do with Lady Bird, scenes sometimes follow secondary characters for no other reason than Gerwig likely found them interesting, sad, or funny. Not everything is explained. Special care is given to Lady Bird's mother, Marion, who's no-nonsense and borderline mean, but also truly loving. Metcalf gives a fine performance in the role. The overall use of music, cityscape images, and feisty rhythms round out a wonderfully personal, open-hearted movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Lady Bird depicts teen drinking and drug use. Are they glamorized? What are the consequences? Why does that matter?

  • How does the movie show and talk about teen sex? How does it affect the characters? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • How personal/autobiographical does this movie seem? Do any of Gerwig's experiences resonate personally with you? If so, how?

  • How does the film portray the character who's gay and dealing with coming out? Does the film judge him? Is he stereotyped?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Frances Ha Poster Image

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    Smart, hilarious, mature look at an appealing scatterbrain.

    age 16+
  • Damsels in Distress Poster Image

    Damsels in Distress

    Wry college comedy may go over young teens' head.

    age 14+
  • Lola Versus Poster Image

    Lola Versus

    Hipster romantic dramedy has some sex, drinking, language.

    age 16+
  • Ghost World Poster Image

    Ghost World

    Offbeat indie dramedy will resonate with older teens.

    age 17+

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