Lady Bird (2017) is a perfect coming-of-age movie
Photo courtesy of Ross/Wikimedia Commons
I have watched Lady Bird (2017) at least once a year (definitely multiple times) since my sister first introduced me to the movie in 2019. Every time I watch it, I am struck by its ability to be both highly emotional and deeply funny and entertaining. The movie follows a teenage girl—Christine McPherson—who goes by the name “Lady Bird.” As she navigates her senior year of high school, she manages a complicated relationship with her mother, Marion, boy troubles, popularity, and friendships.
Her complicated relationship with her mother is one that audiences find particularly relatable. Her mother seems to always be on her case, rarely understanding where she is coming from, and offering little grace for the mistakes Lady Bird makes. In one scene, Lady Bird arrives home after a long day, and her mom, upon noticing her, immediately begins critiquing her for leaving her clothes out. Lady Bird asks her, “Didn’t you ever go to sleep without putting your clothes away perfectly, like even once? And don’t you wish your mom hadn’t gotten angry?” Her mother responds with “My mother was an abusive alcoholic.”
While the audience recognizes that her mother is often harsh, rude, and abrasive with her—even giving her the silent treatment for an extended period of time—we also witness glimpses of the difficult reality and complex emotional state her mother is experiencing, complicating our assessment of her character. We see that she is frustrated and overwhelmed with her life—that she feels ashamed of their economic reality in particular—and that those frustrations echo in her interactions with Lady Bird. Lady Bird and her mother are both shown to be deeply troubled and extraordinarily human, and their relationship reflects the often tense nature of mother-daughter dynamics.
Lady Bird’s encounters with men are also highly relatable and comedic. She meets her first romantic interest, Danny, in the theater program she is in through her school. We watch their relationship develop, full of funny and heartwarming moments as she navigates her first real relationship. However, that joy is abruptly interrupted when she discovers him kissing another boy in the bathroom stall. The relationship comes to a close, but also ends without any bitterness, as he comes out to Lady Bird who responds with understanding and support. This moment is poignant in its portrayal of his struggles as a gay teenager, but is also comedically relatable for many teenage girls; Olivia Rodrigo voices this common occurrence in her song, “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” in which she laments, “Everything I do is tragic, every guy I like is gay.”
Lady Bird’s second male interest is a type I’m sure we’re all familiar with. He is in a band, owns only a flip phone, and rolls his own cigarettes. He is a pseudo-intellectual who tries incredibly hard to come across as philosophical, but falls short of being particularly interesting. Also, his name is Kyle. Needless to say, this man is not a good romantic interest for Lady Bird to pursue. She soon learns this after an entirely unsatisfying loss of her virginity, and the discovery that he lied to her previously about being a virgin and has instead been with “like…six people?” Yikes.
Lady Bird (2017) is also a beautiful representation of how our friendships can carry us through transformative or difficult periods of our lives. Though Lady Bird is not always a good friend to her best friend, Julie, they find each other in the end, demonstrating an understanding of each other that few people in their lives can replicate. Lady Bird thus emphasizes to teenage girls the importance of prioritizing the people in your life who bring you joy and lift you up—particularly over any fleeting romantic interests.
Lady Bird (2017) ends with some level of emotional closure, but with an understanding that her story is not over, as she embarks on a new journey in college life. Lady Bird (2017) is a beautiful, heartwarming, funny, relatable, occasionally tragic movie that I would recommend to anyone, but especially to teenagers. I will personally continue my yearly tradition, and I am sure that once you watch it, you will be inspired to join me.