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Lady Bird (film)

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Lady Bird
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGreta Gerwig
Written byGreta Gerwig
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySam Levy
Edited byNick Houy
Music byJon Brion
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 1, 2017 (2017-09-01) (Telluride)
  • November 3, 2017 (2017-11-03) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[1]
Box office$34.4 million[2]

Lady Bird is a 2017 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Greta Gerwig, and starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith. Set in Sacramento, California, it is a coming-of-age story of a high-school senior (Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf).

Lady Bird premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2017, was theatrically released in the United States on November 3, 2017 by A24, and in the United States it has grossed $34 million against its $10 million budget. It was chosen by the National Board of Review, the American Film Institute, and Time magazine as one of the top 10 films of the year.[3][4][5] At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, Lady Bird won for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy (Ronan), and also received nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Metcalf) and Best Screenplay. At the 71st British Academy Film Awards, the film earned three nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Ronan, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Metcalf and Best Original Screenplay.

Plot

Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson is a senior student at a Catholic high school in the suburbs of Sacramento, in 2002. She lives with her parents, with whom she has a strained relationship, her older brother, who is adopted, and his girlfriend. Lady Bird is best friends with Julianne "Julie" Steffans. Lady Bird and Julie join their school's theatre program, where Lady Bird meets a young man named Danny O'Neill. They develop a romantic relationship, leading to Lady Bird joining Danny's family for Thanksgiving dinner rather than doing so with her own family. Their relationship is abruptly broken when Lady Bird finds Danny making out with a boy in a bathroom stall. At the behest of her mother, Lady Bird takes on a menial job at a coffee shop, where she meets an edgy musician named Kyle Scheible. He and Lady Bird begin a romantic relationship, and she begins to drift away from Julie in favor of a friendship with a popular girl named Jenna Walton. After Jenna is reprimanded by nun teacher Sister Sarah Joan for wearing a short skirt, Jenna bonds with Lady Bird by harmlessly vandalizing Joan's car. Lady Bird tells Jenna that she lives at an address which, in actuality, belongs to Danny's grandmother. Lady Bird drops out of the theatre program, and is later confronted by Danny outside of the coffee shop, where she consoles him after he expresses his struggle to come out. She loses her virginity to Kyle after he falsely refers to himself as a virgin, leading her to find consolation in her mother. Jenna discovers that Lady Bird lied about her address, which essentially ends their friendship. Lady Bird is told that her father has recently lost his job, and discovers that he is battling depression.

Lady Bird begins applying to colleges, hoping to be accepted into one that is out-of-state, despite her mother's insistence that the family could not afford it. She receives several rejection letters, but is elated to discover that she has been placed on the wait list for a university in New York. Despite her uneasy relationship with them, she sets out for her high school's prom alongside Kyle, Jenna, and Jenna's boyfriend, but they decide to drive elsewhere. Lady Bird asks them to drop her off at Julie's apartment, where the two rekindle their friendship and go to the prom together. Lady Bird passes her driving test and repaints her bedroom, removing drawings, photos, and writing from her walls. Her mother discovers that she has applied to out-of-state universities behind her back, causing her mother to give her the silent treatment.

In 2003, on her eighteenth birthday, Lady Bird's father shares a cupcake with her and jokes that he and her mother cannot afford a divorce. Now of legal age, Lady Bird buys a pack of cigarettes, a scratch-off ticket, and an issue of Playgirl from a convenience store. Lady Bird eventually leaves for New York; her mother coldly drives her to the airport, where Lady Bird heads to the terminal with her father. Lady Bird believes her mother does not want to see her or say good bye to her, but in reality, her mother does not want Lady Bird to see her cry. While driving, she has a change of heart and rushes back in to the airport, but Lady Bird has already left. In New York, after finding thoughtful letters written by her mother and salvaged by her father, Lady Bird decides to go by the name Christine again. She is briefly hospitalized after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol at a party. After leaving the hospital, she observes a Sunday church service. Outside the church, Christine calls home with her cell phone and leaves an apologetic message for her mother.

Cast

Production

Development

Gerwig spent a year writing the screenplay—which ended up being 350 pages under the working title Mothers and Daughters.[7] Although the film has been described as semi-autobiographical,[8] Gerwig has clarified that "nothing in the movie literally happened in my life, but it has a core of truth that resonates with what I know".[7] To prepare the cast and crew, Gerwig gave them her old high-school yearbooks, photos, and journals, as well as passages written by Joan Didion—and took them on a tour of her hometown.[9][10] She told the director of photography, Sam Levy, she wanted the film to feel "like a memory,"[11] and has said that she "sought to offer a female counterpart to tales like The 400 Blows and Boyhood."[8]

Casting

In September 2015, Gerwig met with Saoirse Ronan at the Toronto International Film Festival, where they were promoting Maggie's Plan and Brooklyn, respectively. They ran through the script in a hotel room, with Ronan reading the part of Lady Bird, and Gerwig reading the other characters. Gerwig realized when they got to page two that Ronan was the right choice to play the lead.[12][13] In January 2016, Ronan was officially cast.[14] Gerwig met with Lucas Hedges and offered him his choice from the male parts. He chose Danny, which Gerwig had written with him in mind.[15][16] Gerwig cast Laurie Metcalf after seeing her theater work;[17] the rest of the cast—including Tracy Letts, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, John Karna and Jordan Rodrigues—was announced in September 2016.[18][19][20]

Filming

Principal photography on the film was initially scheduled to begin in March 2016, but was pushed to August due to Ronan's commitments to a performance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.[21] Filming began on August 30, 2016, in Sacramento, California. Other locations included Los Angeles and New York City.[22]

Ronan dyed her hair red for the role, and did not wear makeup to cover up her acne; she has said she saw the film as "a really good opportunity to let a teenager's face in a movie actually look like a teenager's face in real life".[23] Gerwig, using a technique she learned from the filmmaker Rebecca Miller, arrived an hour before everyone else in order to put the actors and crew at ease by knowing exactly how the day would run. She also banned smartphones on the set—a policy she borrowed from Noah Baumbach.[24]

Release

In July 2017, A24 acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film.[25] The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2017,[26] and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2017,[27] and the New York Film Festival on October 8, 2017.[28] Focus Features acquired international distribution rights to the film.[29] It was theatrically released in the United States on November 3, 2017,[30] and is due to be released in the UK on February 16, 2018.[31]

Reception

Box office

In its limited opening weekend, the film grossed $364,437 from four theaters, for a per-theater average of $91,109.[32] It had the second best theater average of 2017 and the highest-ever for a film in limited release directed by a woman.[33] The film expanded to 37 theaters in its second weekend, and grossed a three-day total of $1.2 million, finishing 10th at the box office.[34] In its third weekend, the film expanded to 238 theaters, and grossed a three-day total of $2.5 million, finishing 8th at the box office.[35]

The film had its official wide release on November 24, playing in 724 theaters and making $4 million over the weekend ($5.4 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing 11th.[36] Expanding to 1,194 theaters the following week the film grossed $4.3 million, returning to 8th place.[37] Lady Bird is also A24's highest grossing film domestically, just ahead of Moonlight, which grossed $27,854,932.[38]

Critical response

Lady Bird received a standing ovation at its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.[39] It received critical acclaim, with praise aimed at Ronan and Metcalf's performances, as well as Gerwig's screenplay and direction.[40][41] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 99% based on 212 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence and reveals debuting writer-director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent."[42] On November 27, 2017, the film became the most-reviewed film ever to remain at 100% on the site with 164 positive reviews, beating previous record holder Toy Story 2, which has 163 positive reviews. It stayed at 100% until 196 registered reviews.[43] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 94 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."[44]

A.O. Scott of The New York Times labelled Lady Bird as "big-screen perfection", and found it to be "exceptionally well-written, full of wordplay and lively argument. Every line sounds like something a person might actually say, which means that the movie is also exceptionally well acted."[45] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said the film was "modestly scaled but creatively ambitious" and "succeeds on its own terms as a piquant audience pleaser", and gave praise to Ronan, whom he said "just seems to keep getting better all the time."[46] Peter Debruge of Variety praised Gerwig's direction and script, as well as Ronan's performance.[47] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film was "simply beautiful" and "warm and inspired", hailing the performances of Ronan and Metcalf as well as Gerwig's direction and screenplay.[48]

The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday described the film as a "triumph of style, sensibility and spirit" while similarly praising Ronan's performance and Gerwig's direction.[49] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film 3.5 out of four stars in which he deemed it as "Simply Irresistible" and complimented the film's plot and narrative while highlighting the performances of Ronan and Metcalf in which he stated as an "Oscar calling" and Gerwig's direction as "full-blown triumph". He also even declared it as one of year's best films.[50] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film as "unique and original and fresh and wonderful" and "appealing" while lauding the performances (particular Metcalf and Letts) in which he remarked that "There’s no level of acting on a higher plane than what [Metcalf] and [Letts] achieve in this film. This is what greatness looks like."[51] Alonso Duralde of TheWrap remarked that "Gerwig the actress skillfully pivots between the wacky and the poignant, so it's no surprise that Gerwig the auteur so delicately balances hilarity and heartbreak".[52]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by Lady Bird (film)

Lady Bird garnered a variety of awards and nominations,[53] and was selected by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year.[54][55] It received eight nominations at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Acting Ensemble.[56] At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Ronan, Best Supporting Actress for Metcalf, and Best Screenplay.[57] At the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards, it was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Ronan, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Metcalf, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[58]

Notes

  1. ^ Contrary to popular assumption, the character's nickname does not derive from former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, according to an interview with Gerwig and host Terry Gross on National Public Radio. Gerwig went on to describe a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that includes "lady bird" in its lyric.[6]

References

  1. ^ Galuppo, Mia (November 10, 2017). "'Lady Bird': How Greta Gerwig Re-created 2002 to Tell Her Coming-of-Age Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "Lady Bird (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "AFI Awards 2017". AFI. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "National Board of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners". National Board of Review. November 28, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (December 7, 2017). "The Top 10 Movies of 2017". Time. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  6. ^ Terry Gross (November 16, 2017). "Greta Gerwig Explores Mother-Daughter Love (And Angst) In 'Lady Bird'". Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Erbland, Kate (October 6, 2017). "Greta Gerwig Explains How Much of Her Charming Coming-of-Age Film 'Lady Bird' Was Inspired By Her Own Youth". Indiewire.com. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Zuckerman, Esther (November 5, 2017). "How Greta Gerwig Turned the Personal 'Lady Bird' Into a Perfect Movie". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  9. ^ Miller, Julie (November 3, 2017). "How Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird Came to "Look Like a Memory"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  10. ^ Desta, Yohana (November 4, 2017). "How Joan Didion Shaped the World of Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 10, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. ^ Raup, Jordan (November 1, 2017). "'Lady Bird' Cinematographer Sam Levy on Greta Gerwig, Frank Ocean, and Éric Rohmer". The Film Stage. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (September 3, 2017). "Greta Gerwig talks about her directorial debut and casting Saoirse Ronan in 'Lady Bird'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Radish, Christina (November 8, 2017). "Greta Gerwig on 'Lady Bird' and What Made Saoirse Ronan Perfect for the Title Role". Collider.com. Retrieved November 10, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ McNary, Dave (January 22, 2016). "Saoirse Ronan starring in Greta Gerwig's Drama Lady Bird". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  15. ^ McHenry, Jackson (November 8, 2017). "Lucas Hedges Is Obsessed With His Lady Bird Co-stars, and Kept His Puka Shell Necklace". Vulture.com. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  16. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (November 2, 2017). "Lucas Hedges Confesses He Was Almost Thrown Out of Madonna's Oscars Party". W Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  17. ^ Sperling, Nicole (November 2, 2017). "Lady Bird's Laurie Metcalf on the Mom Role That Hit Close to Home and Roseanne's Revival". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  18. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 7, 2016). "John Karna Joins 'Lady Bird' Bevy; Natasha Liu Bordizzo Checks Into 'Hotel Mumbai'". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  19. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 15, 2016). "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' Adds Jordan Rodrigues; Cailee Spaeny Cast In 'Pacific Rim: Maelstrom'". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  20. ^ McCarthy, Lauren (November 2, 2017). "Lady Bird's Beanie Feldstein Has Boundless Potential (and the Enthusiasm to Match)". W Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  21. ^ Coggan, Devan (December 11, 2017). "Greta Gerwig wants to hug every Lady Bird crew member after Golden Globe nominations". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "Lady Bird". Backstage. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  23. ^ Miller, Julie (November 9, 2017). "Saoirse Ronan Reveals the Secrets Behind Her Stunning Lady Bird Transformation". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  24. ^ Minow, Neil (November 1, 2017). "Greta Gerwig on "Lady Bird"". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  25. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (July 18, 2017). "A24 Lands Worldwide Rights To Greta Gerwig-Directed 'Lady Bird". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  26. ^ Hammond, Pete (August 31, 2017). "'Darkest Hour', 'Battle of the Sexes', 'Lady Bird' Among World Premieres in 2017 Lineup – Telluride Film Festival". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  27. ^ "Lady Bird". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "Lady Bird". New York Film Festival. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  29. ^ "Focus Takes International Rights on Saoirse Ronan's Lady Bird". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  30. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2017). "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' Going A Week Earlier in November". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  31. ^ Connick, Tom (November 8, 2017). "What the critics have to say about hyped indie film 'Lady Bird'". NME. Retrieved November 11, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  32. ^ Brian Brooks. "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' Takes Year's Best Per Theater Average Of $93K – Specialty Box Office". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  33. ^ Joanna Robinson. "How Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird Just Took a Big Leap Forward in the Oscar Race". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  34. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro (November 11, 2017). "'Daddy's Home 2' Higher Than 'The Orient Express' In A 'Ragnarok'-Ruled Weekend – Early Sunday AM Update". Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  35. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 20, 2017). "Can 'Coco' Whip 'Justice League' For Top Spot Over Thanksgiving Stretch? – Box Office Preview". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  36. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 26, 2017). "Thanksgiving B.O. At $268M, +3% Over 2016 Spurred By 'Coco' & Holdovers". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  37. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 3, 2017). "'Coco' Looking At Sweet $26M+ As Specialty Sector Pops With Awards Contenders – Sunday Final". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  38. ^ Nordine, Michael (December 24, 2017). "'Lady Bird' Is Now A24's Highest-Grossing Film, Surpassing 'Moonlight'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  39. ^ "Lady Bird Director Greta Gerwig knew right away that Saoirse Ronan was right for the job". TheWrap. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  40. ^ "'Lady Bird': Film Review | Telluride 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  41. ^ Debruge, Peter (September 4, 2017). "Telluride Film Review: Saoirse Ronan in 'Lady Bird'". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  42. ^ "Lady Bird (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  43. ^ "'Lady Bird' sets Rotten Tomatoes record as best-reviewed movie of all time". Entertainment Weekly. November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  44. ^ "Lady Bird reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  45. ^ "Review: Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' Is Big-Screen Perfection". The New York Times. October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  46. ^ "'Lady Bird:' Film Review Telluride 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  47. ^ "Film Review: Saoirse Ronan in 'Lady Bird'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  48. ^ LaSalle, Mick (November 8, 2017). "Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' is warm and inspired". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  49. ^ "Greta Gerwig makes a triumphant debut as a solo director with 'Lady Bird'". The Washington Post. Ann Hornaday. November 8, 2017.
  50. ^ Travers, Peter (October 31, 2017). "'Lady Bird' Review: Greta Gerwig's Coming-of-Age Story Is Simply Irresistible". Rolling Stone.
  51. ^ Richard Roeper (March 15, 2017). "Greta Gerwig's 'Lady Bird' so appealing, we can't wait to see her next". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  52. ^ Duralde, Alonso (November 3, 2017). "'Lady Bird' Film Review: Greta Gerwig Crafts a Lovely Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman". TheWrap. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  53. ^ "Best of 2017: Film Awards and Nominations Scorecard". Metacritic. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  54. ^ "American Film Institute Announces AFI Awards 2017 Official Selections" (Press release). Los Angeles, CA: American Film Institute. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ "National Board Of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners" (Press release). New York, NY: National Board of Review. November 28, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  56. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 6, 2017). "Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'The Shape Of Water' Leads With 14; Netflix Tops TV Contenders". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  57. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (December 11, 2017). "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  58. ^ "SAG Award Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

External links

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