Lady Bird (2017)
Screenplay ✰✰✰✰✰
It’s rare to see such a realistic, nuanced depiction of a mother-daughter relationship. In this regard, Lady Bird’s screenplay outshines any of its other aspects and captures the pain only a parent can invoke.
Performances ✰✰✰✰½
Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf excel as Lady Bird and her mother Marion, respectively, credibly portraying a thorny relationship between two strong-willed women. They feed off one anothers’ performances and use silence so deliberately that it often feels more successful than dialogue. With the addition of Beanie Feldstein as Julie, Lucas Hedges as Danny, Timothée Chalamet as Kyle, and Tracy Letts as Lady Bird’s father Larry, each character feels like a completely natural cast.
Set & Costumes ✰✰✰½
The set and costume design don’t stand out, but they’re successful nonetheless. Lady Bird has a clear sense of style when she’s not wearing her school uniform (and even when she is, due in large part to her pink hair).
Soundtrack & Score ✰✰✰½
Again, the soundtrack and score accomplish little more than establishing context and providing extra bounce to an already quippy coming-of-age film. That being said, DMB’s “Crash Into You” sparks discourse between Lady Bird and Kyle, thus becoming a goodness-of-fit test for others to pass or fail.
Overall ✰✰✰✰½
Little Women (2019)
Screenplay ✰✰✰✰
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women maintains both the author’s style and the story’s vision while managing to innovate. Told through a series of flashbacks rather than in two parts, the film provides an urgency that the text arguably lacks.
Performances ✰✰✰✰½
While some lines occasionally feel scripted, they’re delivered with conviction. Saorise Ronan once again stars, this time as Jo March, a symbol of equality and empowerment for women everywhere. She makes a believable Jo: gawkish, often rambling, and full of heart. Florence Pugh is a fierce yet aggravating Amy, conveying the bitterness of a younger sibling who has to compete—for attention, success, and the same object of affection. Laura Dern as Marmee, Meryl Streep as Aunt March, and Timothée Chalamet as Laurie all seem like obvious choices.
Set & Costumes ✰✰✰✰✰
Winning an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Little Women truly feels like it was filmed in the 19th century. The March house was designed from scratch, and filming took place on-site in Massachusetts. Gerwig’s Little Women not only preserves historical accuracy, but also pays homage to the author herself; Meg and John’s home was once where Louisa May Alcott actually lived.
Soundtrack & Score ✰✰½
The film’s score is its least remarkable feature, neither enhancing nor detracting from the finished product.
