---
title: "Lady Bird"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/lady-bird"
fi1m_id: "lady-bird"
imdb_id: "tt4925292"
tmdb_id: 391713
wikidata_id: "Q27480769"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 87
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:50.297529+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lady Bird (2017)

Directed by Greta Gerwig · 1h 34m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy

## Identity

Lady Bird

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/lady-bird
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** lady-bird
- **IMDb ID:** tt4925292
- **TMDB ID:** 391713
- **Wikidata ID:** Q27480769
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/391713, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27480769

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 87 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* Leaving Sacramento looks easier than getting the last word with your mother

> Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age comedy is funny, tender and unusually fair to both sides of a mother-daughter argument. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf make it worth the evening, though the brisk cutting sometimes leaves other characters short of time.

## Synopsis

Lady Bird McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is in her final year at Catholic school in early-2000s Sacramento, impatient for independence and a life elsewhere. Family money worries complicate her plans, and affection turns readily into argument with her mother, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). Larry McPherson (Tracy Letts) and Julie Steffans (Beanie Feldstein) are among those around her as she negotiates school, friendships and the business of growing up. She wants to decide for herself what comes next, though leaving Sacramento requires more than being tired of it.

## Review

*Lady Bird* is a funny, perceptive coming-of-age film whose chief weakness is how quickly it moves past some of its people. Greta Gerwig writes and directs with an affection that survives her heroine’s considerable ability to be tiresome. In early-2000s Sacramento, the last year of Catholic school feels like something to escape, along with home and its restrictions. We recommend it for the care it takes over the arguments that this impatience causes.

Saoirse Ronan makes Lady Bird McPherson’s dissatisfaction funny without making her seem harmless. There is an insistence in the performance that allows a small disagreement to become everybody else’s problem, and she never asks us to excuse it because growing up is difficult. The hunger for a different life remains understandable, even when its expression is rude or unfair. Her awkwardness feels particular to this girl, rather than a collection of endearing habits supplied to help us like her.

Laurie Metcalf gives Marion McPherson an equally strong claim on our attention. We winced at the mother-daughter arguments, because she makes affection and impatience feel so uncomfortably close. It is easy to hear criticism in her concern, and just as easy to understand why the daughter would resent being its constant recipient. The performance gives us room to be annoyed with the mother without losing interest in what she feels, which takes considerable control.

Sam Levy’s cinematography lets Sacramento look worth noticing even when Lady Bird is impatient with it. That matters: the place needs to have some appeal for her dismissal of it to feel like a teenager’s judgement. Chris Jones’s production design keeps differences in comfort and money visible without making the surroundings more interesting than the people. The rooms help explain why independence has practical limits, and why the family’s financial worries cannot simply be dismissed as parental fussing.

Nick Houy’s editing gives the film its briskness, often allowing a scene to make its point and then moving straight on. At 94 minutes, there is little opportunity for teenage discontent to become an endurance test. Jon Brion’s music keeps the comedy light without treating every family disagreement as an invitation to become sentimental. Together, the cutting and the score help preserve the ordinary scale of these troubles, which matters when the heroine experiences them as enormous.

The speed does have a cost. The shorter encounters can feel curtailed, and we occasionally wanted the film to stay with somebody once Lady Bird had finished finding them interesting. Beanie Feldstein and Tracy Letts bring warmth to their supporting performances, and we wanted more time in their company. The central relationship gets more space, but even there a quick transition can spare the characters an awkwardness that might have been worth sitting through.

Within the coming-of-age comedy, this is a welcome allowance for a parent to be difficult without becoming an obstacle to be removed. The attention to friendship is welcome too, giving the girl’s concerns a reach beyond the next family argument. Greta Gerwig is attentive to the embarrassment of wanting more while knowing that the people at home are already stretched. Watch it for the mother and daughter; be prepared to lose patience with both.

*Fi1m score 86, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics warmly praise Lady Bird for making a familiar coming-of-age story feel personal, funny and emotionally precise. Praise centres on Greta Gerwig’s sharp writing and sympathetic direction, with the mother-daughter relationship supplying both friction and warmth without slipping into sentimentality. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf receive consistent acclaim, while the attention to friendship, class and the details of Sacramento life gives the teenage search for independence a persuasive setting.

The reviews differ chiefly over how deeply the film explores that central relationship, though the spread is mostly between enthusiasm and strong approval. Sight and Sound supplies the clearest dissent: it admires the performances but finds the mother-daughter portrait superficial and the brief vignettes sometimes evasive and monotonous. Where that review sees insufficient development, most critics find precise observation and emotional honesty, treating the familiar adolescent experiences as material Gerwig refreshes rather than merely repeats.

## Straight answers

**Is Lady Bird worth watching?**

*Lady Bird* is worth watching for anyone who wants a coming-of-age comedy that is fair to the mother as well as the daughter, and we scored it 86. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf carry it, and at 94 minutes it never outstays its welcome. Be prepared for the brisk cutting to leave some supporting characters short of time.

**How long is Lady Bird, and what is it rated?**

*Lady Bird* runs 1h 34m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Lady Bird in the US?**

*Lady Bird* is streaming on Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $2.99. It leaves Hulu on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Lady Bird, and is it suitable for children?**

*Lady Bird* is not a violent or frightening film; it is a coming-of-age comedy about a family arguing over money and independence, and its UK 15 certificate reflects adult language and teenage subject matter rather than anything alarming. It suits older teenagers and adults. Younger children would find little in it for them, and the certificate rules them out in any case.

### Reviews we read (20)

- **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (★★★★★): A sparklingly funny coming-of-age comedy with a fractious but loving mother-daughter relationship at its core. The deft script balances wit and angst without sentimentality. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/lady-bird-a-sparkling-and-funny-coming-of-age-comedy/)
- **Time Out**, Tomris Laffly (5/5): A sweet, deeply personal portrayal of female adolescence attuned to girlfriend bonds and mother-daughter ties. It is elevated by an entrancing Saoirse Ronan and Gerwig's keen ear for female familiarity. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lady-bird)
- **Empire**, Terri White (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a coming-of-age story like no other that is smart, emotional, funny and completely original, with a singular and heartwarmingly affecting directorial debut. They single out the precise, raw and tender mother-daughter relationship as the scuffed heart of the film. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lady-bird-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a coming-of-age movie so real it feels like fiction and an elegantly empathetic portrait of a teenage girl's senior year. Gerwig's directorial debut and Ronan's performance are singled out for their warmth, intelligence, and emotional resonance, with the mother-daughter dynamic as the heart of the film. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lady-bird-review-20171101-story.html)
- **Total Film**, Jane Crowther (90/100, inferred): The critic describes Lady Bird as smart, funny and emotional, a deft and moving film that delivers a near-perfect refresh of the genre with brio, tenderness and authenticity. They single out the precision-crafted screenplay that tackles nostalgia, class and more without judgement, along with Saoirse Ronan's unvarnished performance. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/lady-bird-review/)
- **Vulture** (90/100, inferred): Gerwig's solo directorial debut is nearly perfect, with everything coming together in a flittery yet soulful portrait of a Sacramento teen's identity crisis, marked by strong performances and emotional depth in family relationships. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/greta-gerwigs-lady-bird-movie-review.html)
- **Screen Daily** (85/100, inferred): A rollicking, surefooted directorial debut full of sunny optimism, sassy wit and joie de vivre. It features sparkling energy, a generous spirit and a captivating central performance from Saoirse Ronan. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/lady-bird-toronto-review/5122185.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Christopher Gray (85/100, inferred): Gerwig's film is an uncommonly nuanced and intelligent comedy about volatile mother-daughter relationships, rooting around class issues with a deft touch while highlighting authentic performances and a sense of place and time. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lady-bird/)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (85/100, inferred): The review highlights the film's verbal virtuosity, gestural idiosyncrasy, and emotional vitality as a comedic coming-of-age drama. Gerwig is praised for deftly juggling characters and story lines while provoking laughs through subtle touches, especially Metcalf's performance. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/lady-bird-2)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): The review celebrates the honest and personal quality of Gerwig's directorial debut, noting its unselfconscious authenticity. The film's attention to detail in character and setting, along with Ronan's lead performance, is highlighted as particularly genuine and affecting. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-1202546609/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Nick Pinkerton (60/100, inferred): The film boasts high-calibre performances but only skims the surface of the central mother-daughter relationship. Its quick vignettes feel evasive and monotonous at times. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-sketches-scenes-from-awkward-adolescence)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Greta Gerwig’s feature debut is a gloriously funny and wistfully autobiographical coming-of-age comedy that serves as a love letter to her hometown, her mother, and her teenage self. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf deliver tremendous performances as the spiky daughter and formidable mother in this moving exploration of growing up and family relationships. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/15/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-laurie-metcalf)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy: Gerwig's directorial debut is snappy and spirited, offering pinpoint insights into a teenager's hunger for independence from home and Catholic school through keenly observed details and strong performances. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lady-bird-review-1035669/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (NYT Critic’s Pick): The critic praises the film as big-screen perfection and a fresh take on the coming-of-age genre. Gerwig is singled out for infusing familiar teen-movie tropes with authenticity, surprise, and emotional insight through strong performances and sharp writing. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/movies/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan.html)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Greta Gerwig's directorial debut a triumphant comedy winner and one of the year's best films, praising its relatable human truths, comic timing, and strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf as the central mother-daughter pair. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/10/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-directing-saoirse-ronan-video-1202196285/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4.5/5): Gerwig's solo directorial debut is a directorial triumph that delivers a familiar coming-of-age story in a uniquely personal and truthful way. The critic singles out the superb performances by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, along with the film's warm, humane, and astute portrayal of mother-daughter dynamics and millennial life in early-2000s Sacramento. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/lady-bird-review/)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film deft, joyous, and imaginatively sympathetic, highlighting its nimble direction, strong ensemble performances led by Ronan and Metcalf, and Gerwig's boundless empathy for the characters' dreams and conflicts. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/11/04/movies/lady-bird-review)
- **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic highlights how Gerwig breaks stereotypes of actor-directorial debuts with strong performances and visual storytelling, singling out Saoirse Ronan's restless lead performance and the film's generous, humane portrait of a young woman's journey toward adulthood amid family and money pressures. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-laurie-metcalf/)
- **/Film**, Karen Han (8/10): The film is a lovely coming-of-age tale that benefits from Gerwig's candid touch on relationships and family dynamics. Metcalf's knockout performance as the mother stands out as particularly powerful amid the familiar themes. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/553925/lady-bird-review/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): The critic praises Greta Gerwig's directorial debut as a refreshingly honest, funny, and sharp coming-of-age story with excellent performances, especially the electric mother-daughter dynamic between Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. [Read](https://collider.com/lady-bird-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Greta Gerwig
- **Director:** Greta Gerwig
- **Writer:** Greta Gerwig
- **Cinematography:** Sam Levy
- **Editor:** Nick Houy
- **Music:** Jon Brion
- **Production design:** Chris Jones
- **Costume design:** April Napier
- **Producer:** Eli Bush, Evelyn O'Neill, Scott Rudin
- **Cast:** Saoirse Ronan as Lady Bird McPherson; Laurie Metcalf as Marion McPherson; Tracy Letts as Larry McPherson; Lucas Hedges as Danny O'Neill; Timothée Chalamet as Kyle Sheible; Beanie Feldstein as Julie Steffans; Lois Smith as Sister Sarah Joan; Stephen McKinley Henderson as Father Leviatch
- **Runtime:** 1h 34m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 1 December 2017
- **Genres:** Drama, Comedy
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2017); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Winner, 2017)
- **Budget:** $10 million
- **Box office:** $79 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNi_HC839Wo

## Where to watch in the US

- Hulu: streaming, hd, leaving 2026-10-01
- Apple TV: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Disney+: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2018: Best Actress (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- IFFR audience award 2018: IFFR audience award (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Edge of Seventeen* (2016): Another prickly teenager discovers that being unhappy does not excuse everything.
- *Linda Linda Linda* (2005): School friendships take shape through music, shared effort and awkward silences.
- *A Taste of Honey* (1961): A sharper mother-daughter conflict, with money worries that cannot be talked away.
- *Girlhood* (2014): Female friendship offers freedom and complications in another closely observed adolescence.
- *20th Century Women* (2016): An equally generous interest in mothers, children and the misunderstandings between them.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/lady-bird