Greta Gerwig had time to polish the script, it shows. It seems it was done by 2013, so she had time to asbsorb it as well. That´s the first noticeable thing. There isn´t a wasted moment in "Lady Bird" and the pace is relentless all the way, like a mainstream version of the first minutes of "Frances Ha". There´s confidence in the chosen scenes so it quickly goes from one thing to the next and the film feels like a "greatest hits" from a trimmed screenplay. Lady Bird gradually evolves from an odious brat in the hilarious first scene to a grown-up and we see her every step of the way.
Saoirse Ronan is perfect for the role but I think it´s Laurie Metcalf who really dignifies the whole thing and takes it to another level. The mother-daughter relationship is the main focus although it´s well balanced with other aspects like first romances, friendships and school issues. Greta Gerwig takes advantage of her wide experience and the film is focused and doesn´t feel like a debut. It´s quick, pleasant to watch and confident about the semi auto-biographical material. She takes bits of Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and Woody Allen (oh, the irony) and makes something else although it doesn´t really have a strong personal voice.
"Lady Bird" goes through the motions relying a bit too much on the script. It´s too frantic to let any moment breathe. It´s focused on not making any mistake and therefore feels like a safe effort without any stand-out scene. Without the mother character, it would be just another, slightly above average, feel-good comedy about a regular girl. Most of the originality comes from the uncommon setting in Sacramento. She insists on how bad she has it but still goes to college. She gets everything she sets her eyes on, so it´s a rather comfortable ride.
Saoirse Ronan is perfect for the role but I think it´s Laurie Metcalf who really dignifies the whole thing and takes it to another level. The mother-daughter relationship is the main focus although it´s well balanced with other aspects like first romances, friendships and school issues. Greta Gerwig takes advantage of her wide experience and the film is focused and doesn´t feel like a debut. It´s quick, pleasant to watch and confident about the semi auto-biographical material. She takes bits of Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and Woody Allen (oh, the irony) and makes something else although it doesn´t really have a strong personal voice.
"Lady Bird" goes through the motions relying a bit too much on the script. It´s too frantic to let any moment breathe. It´s focused on not making any mistake and therefore feels like a safe effort without any stand-out scene. Without the mother character, it would be just another, slightly above average, feel-good comedy about a regular girl. Most of the originality comes from the uncommon setting in Sacramento. She insists on how bad she has it but still goes to college. She gets everything she sets her eyes on, so it´s a rather comfortable ride.