Lady Bird’ Soars Into Spectacular Ratings

Ava Fehrmann, Staff Writer

Filled with love, loss and lots of humor, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut “Lady Bird” is an amazing tribute to the awkwardness of teenage life and the complexity behind mother-daughter relationships.

Wanting to desperately live through something, the adventurous pink-haired Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson struggles to find her place in school, relationships and Sacramento while keeping up a complicated love-hate relationship with her equally as strong-willed mother.

The movie previously broke the record for having a justified 100 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, until one negative critic bumped it down to a, still phenomenal, 99 percent.

But the films record-breaking streak doesn’t stop there.  Gerwig became the fifth woman to ever be nominated for “Best Director” at the Academy Awards, making her one of the forefronts for the “#TimesUp” movement.

Gerwig also received a well-deserved nomination for “Best Original Screenplay,” and the movie went on to receive an additional “Best Picture” nomination.

But the Oscar hype doesn’t end there.

Acting by Saorise Ronan (Lady Bird) and Laurie Metcalf (her mother) are part of the reason behind the outstanding reviews and delivered them to their rightful spots on the Oscar nomination list for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

Both women give emotional performances that will leave viewers crying with the characters and later calling their mothers and daughters.

However, not all of the movies outstanding performances received the recognition they deserved.  Beanie Feldstein, who plays Lady Bird’s best friend, Julie, and Lucas Hedges, who plays one of her brief boyfriends, deserve more appreciation for their amazing performances.

Apart from acting, the film, set in 2002, strongly reflected on the time period by using little details in costume, props and music choices.

“Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band and “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake are paired with classic 2000s fashion trends like puka shell necklaces and platelet sequences to help bring moviegoers back in time.

The movie, although striking out at the Academy Awards, still deserves all of the love it has received.  It’s a beautifully shot ode to youth and family.  Gerwig’s debut is phenomenal and the world can only hope that this isn’t the end of her fantastic filmmaking and screenwriting career.