LadyBird has been placed under the comedy category, but for some reason I've felt inclined to argue against that - it's not really a comedy, it's so much more than that. That's when I realized that this is me buying into the negative conception about comedy, writing it off as meaningless. When you really look at it, LadyBird is really funny and contains more lighthearted moments than not, and although it's a bumpy ride, does contain the overall rise in fortune of it's main character, Christine, who has dubbed herself LadyBird.
I believe this movie is so incredibly important. It's about a teenage girl navigating fairly normal obstacles - senior year and college madness, financial struggles, rocky family relationships, fitting in, extracurriculars, boys, and sex. I think it would be many people's instincts to hear this and immediately dismiss the movie, but that inclination points to a societal trend of belittling teenage girls and their experiences. As dramatic as this sounds, to dismiss LadyBird as a meaningless comedy is to dismiss me and my experiences in high school. That's how deeply connected I feel to this story. Some may argue that comedies sugarcoat life and romanticize happy endings, but one could just as easily call tragedies an inaccurate depiction of life as well. While there is, of course, a great deal of suffering and pain in life, not everything ends sadly. There is plenty of good and to truly depict the human experience, you need to acknowledge the funny and the positive. LadyBird is a snapshot of a teenage girls life, and I see myself so clearly in this snapshot - the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, laughs and tears.
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