Lady Bird

I had high hopes for this film, but it just didn't work for me. The coming of age theme was done well. Lady Bird's attempts to reinvent herself, her loss of virginity, and friendship struggles were captured honestly, and authentically. The family unit was dysfunctional, confusing, and unlikable. The mother's character was the most developed. As the story unfolds, we begin to understand the reasons behind her caustic, bitter response to Lady Bird's ambitions (weak husband, double shifts at a dead-end job, frustration about infertility). Still, the other characters remain murky. We never understand who the extra children are, or why they are there, why the father can't keep a job, (he's an experienced software developer in Silicon Valley!), etc. As a cradle Catholic, I found the depiction of a modern day California Catholic high school stereotypical. There are not that many religious employed in all the catholic schools combined across the nation. Furthermore, the last time I saw a nun dressed in full habit or a collared priest was like, 1978. Finally, the film's ending is trite and undeveloped. Overall, I'm seriously perplexed about the five star reviews for Lady Bird.

Loved this movie. Heard a lot about it and decided to give it a watch. Honestly, this movie really hit close to home. The dynamic between mom and daughter are pretty similar to my own relationship with my mother. The constant ups and downs really depicted a realistic interaction between mothers and daughters. Just overall great film. Made me cry just because it really made me understand both perspectives. I really felt for the mom a lot, but also for Christine.

More a drama than a comedy, don't be fooled by the trailer. Lady Bird is not as special as she tries to be, maybe that's the whole point of it, but I didn't really get why her story is an interesting one. Being poor isn't about buying clothes at the thrift store and working double shifts.