“Lady Bird” is the name high school senior Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) gives herself to signify rebellion against her family, her Catholic school, and her middle-class upbringing in Sacramento, “the Midwest of California.” And Lady Bird is full of typical teenager stuff: revolting against convention to forge your own identity.
But writer/director Greta Gerwig reworks the coming-of-age narrative with depth, nuance, and striking beauty.