Overview
**This review was updated on August 29, 2023.**
Lady Bird is a coming-of-age film that follows a high school senior in the year 2002. The movie came out on Netflix in 2017 and was quite popular with Gen Z upon release. Starring Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet (hence the popularity), it hits all the coming-of-age checkpoints: kids wanting to fit in, college applications, tense parent/child relationships, and — of course — first loves.
The first thing parents should know about this movie is that it covers mature themes (think Mean Girls just without the comedy). Viewers can expect to see themes of sex, drugs, and teens generally making poor decisions. Overall, we would suggest this movie only for older and mature teens. We put together a quick and helpful review to help parents know what to expect from Lady Bird, and we hope it helps you make the right decision for your family!
Harmful Content ❗️
In true high school fashion, Lady Bird shows a lot of the messy and awkward moments that lots of teens experience. While this may be relatable, it can also be misleading for impressionable minds. In the movie, teens are learning how to be their own person and they make some mistakes along the way. Lady Bird (which is the main character’s name) and her friends get high for the first time. She chooses to hang out with the popular kids and excludes her best friend, Julie, in the process. She also lies multiple times for the purpose of looking cool in front of the popular kids.
Additionally, there are some heavier themes regarding Lady Bird’s home life. Her family does not make a lot of money and this is a constant stress seen in Lady Bird’s relationship with her parents. There is also a reference to mental health, as her father struggles with depression and takes prescribed medications.
Language
Strong use of profanity is used throughout the movie, including “bitch”, “s**t”, “f**k”, and “c**t”.
Sex
Sex comes up throughout the movie. Characters talk about it frequently and in one scene, Lady Bird loses her virginity to her boyfriend. The scene does not show anything explicit, it just shows her on top of him in her bra.
Violence
There are no violent scenes in Lady Bird. Though there are some screaming matches, particularly between Lady Bird and her mother.
Positive Value 💫
Some older kids may enjoy finding themselves in Lady Bird’s story, as much of what she experiences and feels are common among seniors getting ready to graduate.
Lady Bird as a character values individuality and she dreams big. She never gives up hope that she’ll make it out of Sacramento, even though many people doubt her ability to get into the colleges she wants. While Lady Bird makes some poor decisions, she also makes some decisions worth emulating. For instance, she realizes her mistake in choosing the popular kids over her best friend and apologizes to Julie before the end of the movie.
So, should my kid watch it?
We would not recommend this movie unless your child is older or definitely mature enough to handle the content. You know your child best! And if you do allow them to watch, perhaps it’s an opportunity to have an open conversation with them about some of the important topics depicted in the movie.
