Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig took a page out of the Noah Baumbach playbook for this; a episodic and uniquely female portrait about a senior in high school. It’s not super plot-heavy, but it’s clear what “Lady Bird” wants: to get into a college across the country and "get out of Dodge." It’s honest, awkward, and funny. Saoirse Ronan, who’s always been good, navigates friends, family, and Catholic school, but she never really resolves or copes with any of her unresolved issues. She just moves-on from them. Change occurs when she accepts who she is and what she wants. It’s an accomplished debut by Gerwig.