Lady Bird (2017)
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A high school senior navigates a turbulent relationship with her mother while dreaming of a future on the East Coast.
The story
In the fall of 2002, Christine McPherson, who calls herself "Lady Bird", is a senior at a Catholic high school in Sacramento, California. Despite her family's financial struggles, she longs to attend a prestigious college in "a city with culture" on the East Coast. The film follows her journey as she navigates the complexities of senior year, her involvement in the school's theater program, and her complicated, often heated dynamic with her mother, Marion, as they both grapple with the realities of her impending departure for college.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the fall of 2002, Christine McPherson, known as "Lady Bird," is a high school senior in Sacramento. She dreams of attending an East Coast college despite her family's financial struggles. After a physical altercation with her mother, Marion, Lady Bird joins the school's theater program and begins dating Danny. She spends Thanksgiving with his wealthy family and later tries to gain popularity by befriending students Kyle and Jenna. After a series of personal conflicts and a suspension from school, she reconciles with Danny and eventually faces the reality of her father's job loss. She is accepted into a New York City university but keeps her status on a waitlist secret from her mother. On prom night, she spends time with her friend Julie. After her parents drop her off at the airport, she finds letters from Marion in her luggage, leading her to reclaim her name, Christine, and eventually reach out to her mother with a message of gratitude.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Greta Gerwig
- Writers
- Greta Gerwig · writer
- Cast and characters
- Saoirse Ronan · Lady Bird; Laurie Metcalf · Marion; Tracy Letts; Lucas Hedges · Danny; Timothée Chalamet; Beanie Feldstein; Stephen McKinley Henderson; Lois Smith
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age; mother-daughter relationship
- Tone and mood
- poignant; hilarity and heartbreak
- Premise and plot tags
- semi-autobiographical; high school
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise drawn to Gerwig's screenplay and direction, and the performances of Ronan and Metcalf. It was considered by many critics as one of the best films of 2017 and one of the best films of the 2010s and the 21st century.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · scale: percentage · review count: 399; Metacritic · score: 93 · scale: 100 · review count: 50
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) · won; Golden Globe Award · Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy · won; Academy Award · Best Picture · nominated; Academy Award · Best Actress · nominated; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · nominated; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nominated; Academy Award · Best Director · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was Gerwig's first as a solo director.; Gerwig gave the cast and crew her old high-school yearbooks, photos, and journals to prepare them.; The film was originally intended to be shot on Super 16 film but was shot on the Arri Alexa Mini due to budget constraints.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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