The First "Lady Bird" Trailer Shows Greatness in a Potential Oscar Charmer

Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird

The time is officially upon us. With film festivals starting to crop up, the Oscar season is starting to take shape, and A24 isn't without a few candidates. Among their big pushes is for the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig called Lady Bird, starring two time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan. It has already gotten plenty of positive buzz, especially for its ability to tell a compelling story centered around women. The first trailer has officially dropped and it looks to be a delightful return to the Oscar circles for Ronan while Gerwig will hopefully get her first ever (and long overdue) nomination. If nothing else, it looks to be a delightful coming of age story with a feisty central performance full of rich humor.

As it has been documented for some time, I have been eager to see Gerwig get an Oscar nomination. This isn't just for acting, though films like 20th Century Women and Jackie make strong cases for it. She's also a great writer (Frances Ha, Mistress America), and she does seem to be a few steps away from being one of the greatest singular voices in modern indie film. Considering her growing reputation, there's plenty of reason to be excited about Gerwig's directorial debut, suggesting that it's the first time that her sole vision has been brought to the screen. Provided it's as good as her prose, this may be the second coming of an actor-turned-director master.

It's also great to see Ronan back after taking some time off following Brooklyn. She has been a compelling force for years, and I'm hoping that the dry comedy of Gerwig will be able to allow Ronan to present a new and exciting side of herself. Given that this is put out by A24, the odds of this being at least memorable are much higher. Given that they previously won Best Picture with Moonlight, there's odds that this will be an unexpected hit in ways that slowly encapsulate awards season. Even then, this seems like an interesting pairing for a small little comedy focused around women and their 21st century struggles.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks very good. Here is the plot according to IMDb:

The adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year.

It may not sound like much, but there's plenty to love already from the trailer. Ronan has a feisty personality that is at times rebellious and smart. If nothing else, she is less reserved than her normal roles have gravitated towards. There's plenty to like, and Gerwig has added her own sense of melancholy to the language of the characters. It's a bit exciting to see Gerwig getting comfortable enough to make a drama this grounded that isn't centered around her, but with plenty of subtle jabs that may elevate it to something as great as Frances Ha. Only time will tell, but the reviews have been overall positive so far. Why not think that this film has a lot to offer this awards season? Its fake breasts joke alone shows just how smart it actually is, and we could use a lot more of the smart comedy variety.