Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine (Lady Bird). McPherson a high school senior at a Catholic girls high school who desperately wants to escape Sacramento and flee to the ‘cultured’ climes of NY or Boston for college. This is a very well-acted, upbeat but unsentimental look at her coming of age as she battles her mother (a wonderful Laurie Metcalf) and coaxes her ever-supportive father to endorse her goals even as her folks cope with economic stress from ageist layoffs and exhaustion from double shifts. Classes and aspirations collide. Few caricatures in this one except for the wealthy kids and the straight boys, and we see many sides to each well-rounded character. There’s fine work from the supporting cast, including a small, rich and even heartbreaking turn from Stephen Henderson as Father Leviatch that’s shared, in part, with a sensitive and professional Metcalf’s psych nurse. Beanie Feldstein’s Julie Steffans, Lady Bird’s best friend, also gives an especially fine supportive performance as a co-conspirator and supportive companion. Even the nun’s largely come off in this one with their humanity, intelligence and senses of humor intact. But the main stage belongs to Ronan and Metcalf as they fight their way through to Lady Bird’s coming of age. Like many of us, we think we understand our parents, children and ‘reality’ better than we do. I fear I will never be able to be the calm, ever supportive, and together father played by Tracy Letts, although this is one of the less-textured main roles. This is a very good film that I believe has received its rave reviews because it compares so well to most of its ilk.