Top 5 Reasons You Should Watch Lady Bird
Every now and then a truly remarkable film comes along that everyone should check out. This is one of them! Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for Top 5 Reasons You Should Watch Lady Bird.
For this list, we're looking at Greta Gerwig's critically-acclaimed debut feature film as a solo director, and exploring why it's so worthy of your attention.
#5: It's a Truly Refreshing Coming-of-Age of Film
Though there are countless entries in this genre, there aren't many like “Lady Bird”. Coming-of-age films tend to fixate on the various checkboxes of teenage priorities, and buy into them as well, allowing the questions of a significant other, college applications, cliques and extracurriculars to serve as the be-all and end-all of the character's self-discovery. And make no mistake, these are all things that Lady Bird agonizes over. What separates this film from the pack however, is the acknowledgement that these are simply features in the landscape of adolescence, not the entire journey itself. Lady Bird's transition to womanhood doesn't have a pat journey and tidy endpoint, and that's refreshingly honest.
#4: You'll Get to Know the Director, Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig sure isn't a household name, though you might recognise her face from films like “Greenberg” and “20th Century Women”. After the success of this movie, however, that's bound to change. And because “Lady Bird” is a film so heavily informed by Gerwig's own perception of adolescence, it gives you a window into the filmmaker's own formative years (she wrote the movie, as well as directed it). In response to seeing the film labelled semi-autobiographical, 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”. Life, meet art!
#3: There's Some Truly Amazing Talent Involved
Even the world's most talented filmmaker can't craft a masterpiece without the help of co-conspirators. With cinematographer/frequent collaborator Sam Levy and award-winning producer Scott Rudin working alongside her, Gerwig certainly had a strong team behind the scenes. It's in assembling her cast that she really hit a homerun, though. Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein and Timothée Chalamet all turn in excellent performances in their supporting roles, but Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf deliver two of the most compelling and nuanced performances seen in recent years, as they navigate their daughter/mother relationship. Prepare to be blown away.
#2: It's Being Called an Oscar Contender
Considering the praise that's been heaped upon this little indie-film-turned-big-deal, “Lady Bird” has understandably generated a lot of award buzz. And while buzz doesn't always equal hardware, the movie has already earned nominations and a win from the Gotham Awards; a Rare Pearl Award from the Denver International Film Festival; multiple nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards; and the Audience Favorite Silver Award at California's Mill Valley Film Festival. But there's much bigger game afoot. Given the critical acclaim and ever-building hype surrounding “Lady Bird,” it's hotly predicted to be a serious Oscar contender.
#1: It Became the Best-Reviewed Film on Rotten Tomatoes
By earning a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Gerwig's film joined a rather exclusive club, to which only a few titles are added each year. And when “Lady Bird” hit 165 massively positive reviews by November 2017, it actually blew past “Toy Story 2” to become the best-reviewed film on this juggernaut of a aggregator. Now, to avoid confusion, this doesn't make it the greatest film of all time, or the most critically-acclaimed film of all time. And these numbers are subject to change. What it does mean, is that this film received the largest number of unanimously positive reviews in the website's history at that point. And for an indie film… that's a massive achievement.
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Every now and then a truly remarkable film comes along that everyone should check out. This is one of them! Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for Top 5 Reasons You Should Watch Lady Bird.
For this list, we're looking at Greta Gerwig's critically-acclaimed debut feature film as a solo director, and exploring why it's so worthy of your attention.
#5: It's a Truly Refreshing Coming-of-Age of Film
Though there are countless entries in this genre, there aren't many like “Lady Bird”. Coming-of-age films tend to fixate on the various checkboxes of teenage priorities, and buy into them as well, allowing the questions of a significant other, college applications, cliques and extracurriculars to serve as the be-all and end-all of the character's self-discovery. And make no mistake, these are all things that Lady Bird agonizes over. What separates this film from the pack however, is the acknowledgement that these are simply features in the landscape of adolescence, not the entire journey itself. Lady Bird's transition to womanhood doesn't have a pat journey and tidy endpoint, and that's refreshingly honest.
#4: You'll Get to Know the Director, Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig sure isn't a household name, though you might recognise her face from films like “Greenberg” and “20th Century Women”. After the success of this movie, however, that's bound to change. And because “Lady Bird” is a film so heavily informed by Gerwig's own perception of adolescence, it gives you a window into the filmmaker's own formative years (she wrote the movie, as well as directed it). In response to seeing the film labelled semi-autobiographical, 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”. Life, meet art!
#3: There's Some Truly Amazing Talent Involved
Even the world's most talented filmmaker can't craft a masterpiece without the help of co-conspirators. With cinematographer/frequent collaborator Sam Levy and award-winning producer Scott Rudin working alongside her, Gerwig certainly had a strong team behind the scenes. It's in assembling her cast that she really hit a homerun, though. Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein and Timothée Chalamet all turn in excellent performances in their supporting roles, but Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf deliver two of the most compelling and nuanced performances seen in recent years, as they navigate their daughter/mother relationship. Prepare to be blown away.
#2: It's Being Called an Oscar Contender
Considering the praise that's been heaped upon this little indie-film-turned-big-deal, “Lady Bird” has understandably generated a lot of award buzz. And while buzz doesn't always equal hardware, the movie has already earned nominations and a win from the Gotham Awards; a Rare Pearl Award from the Denver International Film Festival; multiple nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards; and the Audience Favorite Silver Award at California's Mill Valley Film Festival. But there's much bigger game afoot. Given the critical acclaim and ever-building hype surrounding “Lady Bird,” it's hotly predicted to be a serious Oscar contender.
#1: It Became the Best-Reviewed Film on Rotten Tomatoes
By earning a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Gerwig's film joined a rather exclusive club, to which only a few titles are added each year. And when “Lady Bird” hit 165 massively positive reviews by November 2017, it actually blew past “Toy Story 2” to become the best-reviewed film on this juggernaut of a aggregator. Now, to avoid confusion, this doesn't make it the greatest film of all time, or the most critically-acclaimed film of all time. And these numbers are subject to change. What it does mean, is that this film received the largest number of unanimously positive reviews in the website's history at that point. And for an indie film… that's a massive achievement.
read more...
