“Lady Bird’ has been nominated by Time magazine as one of the top 10 movies of 2017. Christine McPherson, also known as “Lady Bird”, is a 17-year-old high school senior who wants to fit into the norms of society. Some struggles she encounters involves poverty within her family, boys, friendships, and college, Christine learns to overcome these challenges and discover her self-worth.
Wanting to escape the heart of Sacramento, California, she dreams of applying to out-of-state colleges, like New York. Her mother is in strong disapproval of her leaving due to their family’s financial status. Christine attends a Catholic school in Sacramento. After receiving an assigned a role in the school play, she meets Danny, a quirky and friendly boy. Danny and Christine start to date, but break up after she finds him kissing another boy in a bathroom stall. Frustrated and hurt, “Lady Bird” starts to date Kyle as rebound, a bass playing bad boy. (Spoiler alert: she gets used by him). After her best friend Julie finds out that she has been trying to fit into the popular crowd, she begins to distance herself from Christine. In the end, “Lady Bird” is placed on a waitlist for New York University, and makes up with Julie by going to prom with her after ditching Kyle. Christine attends New York University after her father provides her with a completed financial aid document as a Christmas present. Shortly after being on her own in the city, she wakes up hospitalized from alcohol poisoning and starts to miss her family.
Why is this movie so relatable?
- Mother-daughter relationships- During the teen years, arguments between a mother and daughter are bound to occur. Christine and Marion McPherson do not always see eye-to-eye on specific situations, but in the end they still love each other. In Lady Bird’s case, it took her being on her own in New York to appreciate her family’s flaws. Distance cannot separate a grateful heart.
- Friendships- Julie and “Lady Bird” discuss their curiosities about boys and college throughout the movie. Christine takes Julie for granted when she starts to hang around the popular crowd. This is a common teenage girl problem, where girls will leave their friends for someone more popular. “Lady Birdy” starts to realize how important Julie is after hanging out with the wrong crowd.
- Boys- From falling in love to getting heart-broken, Christine learns a valuable lesson about who to place your trust in. In the end, she recognizes that she is just as strong without a guy and embraces her single lifestyle.
- Being an outcast- “Lady Bird’s” personality is sarcastic and headstrong. With short pink hair, she definitely stands out in a crowd. Determined to appreciate artwork and become a writer, her heart belongs to those who appreciate her quirkiness. Throughout the movie, she learns to value herself and appreciate everything that her parents have shown her along the way.