Lady Bird: A Modern Coming of Age Classic
Listen as Brandon and Thomas discuss one of their favorite films of the 2010s.
Every decade since the 1950s, there are a few films that capture the feelings of growing up. These films are specific in their stories, which allows the films to be universal. Rebel without a Cause, American Graffiti, and Dazed and Confused are three examples that captured that specificity for teenagers at the time. With each decade, the genre evolves, allowing new perspectives and stories about growing up.
The 1990s were full of party movies, while the 2000s were mainly full of teen sex comedies after the financial success of the American Pie franchise. But, during the 2010s, we experienced the beginnings of a Golden Age of Coming of Age stories. The main reason was because of the new crop of diverse filmmakers that emerged. These films became critical darlings or Oscar-nominees: Dope, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Moonlight, The Edge of Seventeen, Eighth Grade, Call Me By Your Name, mid90s, Booksmart, Little Women, and many others.
These films took the tropes of the Coming of Age genre, and subverted them enough, to create new and unique stories. One of the best films of the 2010s to do that was 2017’s Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut. The film tells the story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson in her senior year at a Catholic high school in Sacramento, California. Taking place during the 2002–2003 school year, Lady Bird is a snapshot of a young girl growing up in a post-9/11 world. Even though the events of September 11th are not discussed directly, they are referenced throughout. At one point, Lady Bird even says that this is the perfect time to apply to New York colleges because more people will be scared to go due to terrorism.
Lady Bird (portrayed magnificently by Saoirse Ronan) lives on the wrong side of the tracks. The majority of her classmates are wealthy, while her father recently lost his job and her mother works double shifts as a nurse. Her brother and his girlfriend sleep on the living room couch after graduating from UC Berkeley but now work at a local supermarket. Gerwig tackles the class differences nicely, expanding more on the foundation that John Hughes set with films like Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful. She improves upon this trope by showcasing the struggles of Lady Bird’s parents, something that is rarely done within the Coming of Age genre. Lady Bird’s parents discuss their financial struggles, trying to find out how to survive as a family.
Gerwig paints Marion and Larry McPherson as complex individuals, not stereotypical parents that are present within our lead character’s lives. While most Coming of Age films focus on the parents understanding the lives of their children, Lady Bird not only shows that parents do not fully understand their children, but their children do not fully understand their parents.
Lady Bird is a pitch-perfect film. Greta Gerwig fills her films with a warmth that very few filmmakers can do. You care about all of her characters, and a reason for that is the cast. Gerwig casts her films wonderfully. There isn’t a false note in any of her films when it comes to the ensemble.
In Lady Bird, Gerwig is not only able to capture the feelings of growing up for a young girl, but growing up in general. When you are a teenager, you are full of insecurities, fears, and hormones. You feel the need to escape from your parents, your school, and your town. Lady Bird paints a nostalgic and honest portrait of growing up and feeling like you are missing out on something more important.
Listen to our latest podcast episode where Brandon Sparks and Thomas Horton discuss Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”, and how it fits within the Coming of Age genre.
The CineNation Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
