Indie actor Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is earning rave reviews for her striking female coming-of-age story, Lady Bird. According to review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has officially become the best ever reviewed film on the site, beating Toy Story 3 to the top spot.
Since its release on 3 November it has earned a "certified fresh" score of 100 per cent with 165 reviews. Toy Story 3, by contrast, has 100 percent rating but with 163 reviews. EW reports Lady Bird that the film, "has made more than $10 million with only having played in under 800 theatres nationwide."
They added: "Lady Bird is one of only six films to earn a perfect score so far this year alongside Faces Places, Jane, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, Truman, and Bright Lights. The film stars Ronan as the titular Lady Bird, a high schooler living in 2002 Sacramento, navigating her tense relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) and unclear future. It has since, obviously, earned rave reviews from critics."
In a profile of Gerwig, The New York Times praised her for creating, "a character rarely seen onscreen: a young girl who loves herself" and Variety called it, "The kind of modest, miraculous low-budget gem that takes on a life of its own."
Last night lead actor Saoirse Ronan picked up best actress at the Gotham Independent film awards adding to murmurs that the Oscars were on the cards for Lady Bird.
The film comes with added significance this year given the dearth of female filmmakers and ongoing revelations about the abuse and misogyny female actors have faced in Hollywood. Instead of an all-female remake as imagined by a man, this is the story of a strong young woman seen through the eyes of another. In other words, just the tonic Hollywood needs right now.
