Lady Bird, a film entirely deserving of every iota of praise that’s been heaped upon it, has notched yet another success, becoming one of the few movies in history to earn 100 percent positive reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The film was met with unanimous approval by 170 critics, edging out the previous record holder Toy Story 2, which delighted only 163 reviewers when it came out in 1999. Even Armond White—a known contrarian who tanked Toy Story 3's perfect score—was forced to bow to Lady Bird’s supremacy, acquiescing that “the film’s conflicts are surprisingly touching.”
Greta Gerwig, who wrote and directed the movie, continues to receive the fawning praise with undiluted charm and grace, telling Rotten Tomatoes that:
“This is completely amazing and so incredibly appreciated by the entire team that made Lady Bird,” Gerwig said exclusively to RT, “We put our heart and souls into this movie, and the last step of this deeply collaborative art form of filmmaking is giving the film to the audience and the film critics. That there has been such a warm reception is a dream come true. Thank you to everyone who has seen the film and has written about it so thoughtfully. We are all on cloud nine and using our tomato emoji more than we ever thought possible.”
Haters have, of course, invaded the “Audience” section of the site, with only 88 percent of plebeian viewers claiming to have enjoyed Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf’s layered mother-daughter sparring. “Overall meh,” wrote one. “this shit was straight garbage. Quote me bitch,” wrote another. Martin D G found the movie totally unrelatable, and not just because s/he didn’t go to high school in early aughts northern California:
I didn’t identify with what all the teenagers went through because I lived a completely different teenage life than they do. I don’t remember if I went to a prom or when/how I lost my virginity, having special friends at school, etc., so I sort of kept thinking, “Come on-let’s get on with the story!”
As Lady Bird’s mother, Marion, says during an especially heated living room argument: “Whatever we give you, it’s never enough!”
And as Lady Bird emphatically responds: “It is enough!” Yes, it is.