--- title: "Lady Bird: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/lady-bird/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/lady-bird" critics_score: 87 critics_reviews: 17 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): what the critics said Critics' score 87 from 17 reviews: 16 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating ★★★★★. 13 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/lady-bird-a-sparkling-and-funny-coming-of-age-comedy/) ## Time Out — Tomris Laffly Rating 5/5. 12 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lady-bird) ## Empire — Terri White Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lady-bird-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lady-bird-review-20171101-story.html) ## Total Film — Jane Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/lady-bird-review/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2017. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/greta-gerwigs-lady-bird-movie-review.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2017. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/lady-bird-toronto-review/5122185.article) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2017. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lady-bird/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/lady-bird-2) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 4 September 2017. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-1202546609/) ## Sight and Sound — Nick Pinkerton Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-sketches-scenes-from-awkward-adolescence) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 15 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/15/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-laurie-metcalf) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 5 September 2017. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lady-bird-review-1035669/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 31 October 2017. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/movies/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan.html) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2017. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/2017/10/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-directing-saoirse-ronan-video-1202196285/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5/5. 8 October 2017. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/lady-bird-review/) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/11/04/movies/lady-bird-review) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/lady-bird-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-laurie-metcalf/) ## /Film — Karen Han Rating 8/10. 16 October 2017. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/553925/lady-bird-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 2 November 2017. 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 the review](https://collider.com/lady-bird-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/lady-bird.md