The most unrealistic parts of Lady Bird (2017 movie)

Perhaps the only thing I questioned was how Lady Bird, with her middling grades, could have gotten in to the university in New York that she did. But I think the movie went a good ways towards covering that by: (a) not naming the university (maybe it was a CUNY/CCNY school for all we know; we know it wasn't Columbia); (b) letting us know that LB’s admission essay was vivid and excellently written; and (c) reminding us that, in 2003, many people were still a bit leery about moving to just-post-9/11 New York (i.e., admissions to NYC universities were down, which I think is absolutely true). With all those factors in place, I didn't find that plot point really that unrealistic.

Other than that, I suppose I was surprised that LB’s new best friend would have not seen LB’s house, or known she was lying, until she did. But we don't really know how many days had passed since their prank, so it wasn't that a big deal. The directing football-coach scene also seemed a bit overly broad. Ah, and the guys kissing in the bathroom stall wasn't terribly realistic. If you're that closeted, you probably aren’t going to make out with a guy in an unlocked public bathroom, let alone unlocked stall. (Anyone who walked in could see two people in one stall.) Maybe they were supposed to have been drinking?

Oh, and the weather. The movie covers a long stretch of months, but the weather doesn't really ever change. Sacramento actually does look different in mid-winter: many trees lose their leaves; you have to wear a windbreaker or light jacket most days, certainly at night; it rains a fair amount. You can't really go swimming outside, at least not lie around in a bathing suit. (The average January high temp is 54F/12C.) Also, the New York scenes, due to the new green leaves, were clearly filmed in late spring, not early autumn. But these are minor, minor points that most movies get wrong.

Greta Gerwig comes from a place of deep realism in cinema and the mumblecore movement, so Lady Bird reflects that commitment to realism. It's a great film. If you liked it, check out “Frances Ha,” which stars Gerwig and can be seen as a similar character (and filming style) but several years post-college.