MOVIE: Lady Bird shows Saoirse at her very best

SAOIRSE Ronan’s stock is pretty high right now. Having recently been nominated for her third Oscar, she’s already won a Golden Globe for her lead role in ‘Lady Bird’.

‘Lady Bird’ is directed by first timer Greta Gerwig, known for her writing on ‘Francis Ha’ and ‘Maggie’s Plan’ amongst others, and a champion of the independent movie scene. 

Both of these films can be described as tender, funny and intensely emotional, adjectives that can equally be applied to Gerwig’s efforts here.

‘Lady Bird’ tells the story of Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson (Ronan) who fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. 

It follows Christine’s blossoming journey from teenager to young woman, pulling in at the typical stops along the way – making friends, smoking weed, having sex and going to the prom, not necessarily in that order. 

The themes it explores are in one way exclusively feminine, but equally universal to any one who ever struggled to find their place in the world. 

The setting is definitely America, but equally could be Ireland or anywhere else for that matter as Christine fights to break free from the shackles of her catholic school imprisonment. 

The humour is loose and quick and helps to break the drama that bubbles underneath. From the opening scene where Christine and her mother are driving back home from a tour of prospective colleges, where the dialogue crackles and the emotion ignites, you know you are in safe hands from all those involved both in front of, and behind the camera. 

Metcalf has been nominated as best supporting actress and Gerwig twice for her screenplay and directing. The film is also in the best picture category. 

As we mentioned in our review last week, this is another case of a five star acting performance in a movie that falls a little short of perfection. Nonetheless, we score it an impressive and entertaining, 4 stars.

Paul O’Rourke