The Clip That Proves Lady Bird, on Top of Everything Else, Is the Perfect Christmas Movie
Like most great high-school movies, Greta Gerwig’sLady Bird follows the beats of the high-school cal..
Like most great high-school movies, Greta Gerwig’sLady Bird follows the beats of the high-school calendar, from auditions for the fall musical to Thanksgiving to, inevitably, prom. Christmas is but a brief beat in the movie, a pause from the drama at school that consumes our heroine Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan_) and forces her to spend time with her family—which, as we’ve seen throughout the film, has an affectionate relationship that’s usually expressed through squabbling. But Christmas morning, as you can see in the exclusive clip above, is different. Even if your mom is driving you crazy 90 percent of the time, when she gives you socks on Christmas, you have no option but to be kind and grateful.
So, yes: Lady Bird may not be a Christmas movie in most ways, but it’s easy to imagine plenty of moviegoers scheduling it into their holiday plans. With $25 million at the box office and counting, it’s one of the year’s most significant indie hits, and is now playing in over 900 theaters—meaning that anyone coming home for the holidays may be pleasantly surprised to find it in their local art house. It’s the movie inspiring everyone to call their mom this fall; why not take your mom with you and have that heart-to-heart you’ve been putting off all these years?
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:11 of 2017’s Greatest Scene-Stealers
Zendaya — Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya is in Homecoming for maybe all of 10 minutes, but she uses her time extra-effectively. Her performance as Michelle, an antisocial teen with a quick wit, was such an impressive turnaround from the young star’s glamorous persona that you’d be forgiven for forgetting it was even her.Photo: By Chuck Zlotnick/©2017 CTMG, Inc.
Barry Keoghan — Killing of a Sacred Deer
Director Yorgos Lanthimos must have thanked his lucky stars when he cast Keoghan in this film as Martin, a chilling young man who casts a sort of curse on a family. Keoghan elevates Lanthimos’s preference for staccato acting, adding a layer of menace to his scenes that works its way to a grand, bloody payoff.Photo: By Jima (Atsushi Nishijima)/Courtesy of A24.
Timothée Chalamet — Lady Bird
Chalamet makes a pitch-perfect turn as Kyle, an angsty boy in a band who rolls his own cigarettes and lectures on the dangers of cell phones and capitalism. We all knew a Kyle, and Chalamet immaculately captured the apex version of that particular brand of high-school snob. And yes, we know his biggest role this year was in Call Me by Your Name, but there’s actually someone else from that film worth mentioning . . .Photo: By Merie Wallace/Courtesy of A24.
Michael Stuhlbarg — Call Me by Your Name
Playing a lovable father is easy enough, but Stuhlbarg imbues his role with such warmth and passion that you’ll leave the film wishing he had been given even more to do. There’s one monologue in particular (we shan’t spoil the particulars) that he delivers about life and love that’s so big and beautiful it’ll break your heart, pick up the pieces, and mend it all over again.Photo: By Luca Campri/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Domhnall Gleeson — Mother!
This demented, polarizing drama from Darren Aronofsky has a Lot! Going! On! But no matter what you think of it, you have to admit that Domhnall Gleeson makes a mesmerizing turn as a Cain-ish evil son who dashes into the mansion like a malevolent whirlwind. (Honorable mention: Kristen Wiig, who shows up toward the end of the film for a surprisingly violent and unintentionally hilarious twist.)Photo: By Samir Hussein/Getty Images.
Doug Jones — The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous romance is basically engineered to make you fall in love with Jones, who is unrecognizable as a mysterious creature halfway between a fish and a man. The actor, who’s made a career out of playing a variety of otherwordly creatures, plays this role with a strange sort of innocence mixed with feral roughness—but doesn’t give too much away, always leaving us curious about the fish-man’s story.Photo: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Brooklynn Prince — The Florida Project
Prince is only 7 years old, and The Florida Project is only her second movie! Ever! In it, she plays a little girl named Moonee who lives in an Orlando motel with her mother. Not only does she have natural charisma, but she also easily holds her own with co-star Willem Dafoe, a sign that her nascent career is destined for so much more.Photo: Courtesy of A24.PreviousNext
Zendaya — Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya is in Homecoming for maybe all of 10 minutes, but she uses her time extra-effectively. Her performance as Michelle, an antisocial teen with a quick wit, was such an impressive turnaround from the young star’s glamorous persona that you’d be forgiven for forgetting it was even her.By Chuck Zlotnick/©2017 CTMG, Inc.
Barry Keoghan — Killing of a Sacred Deer
Director Yorgos Lanthimos must have thanked his lucky stars when he cast Keoghan in this film as Martin, a chilling young man who casts a sort of curse on a family. Keoghan elevates Lanthimos’s preference for staccato acting, adding a layer of menace to his scenes that works its way to a grand, bloody payoff.By Jima (Atsushi Nishijima)/Courtesy of A24.
Timothée Chalamet — Lady Bird
Chalamet makes a pitch-perfect turn as Kyle, an angsty boy in a band who rolls his own cigarettes and lectures on the dangers of cell phones and capitalism. We all knew a Kyle, and Chalamet immaculately captured the apex version of that particular brand of high-school snob. And yes, we know his biggest role this year was in Call Me by Your Name, but there’s actually someone else from that film worth mentioning . . .By Merie Wallace/Courtesy of A24.
Michael Stuhlbarg — Call Me by Your Name
Playing a lovable father is easy enough, but Stuhlbarg imbues his role with such warmth and passion that you’ll leave the film wishing he had been given even more to do. There’s one monologue in particular (we shan’t spoil the particulars) that he delivers about life and love that’s so big and beautiful it’ll break your heart, pick up the pieces, and mend it all over again.By Luca Campri/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Hong Chau — Downsizing
While her role in the Alexander Payne film has beenquite polarizing, Chau ably takes on the challenging role of a Vietnamese activist turned downsized maid, gripping the heart of the film out from under lead star Matt Damon. She’s also since left a mark on the awards circuit, picking up the film’s sole Golden Globe nomination.From ©2017 Paramount Pictures.
Tiffany Haddish — Girls Trip
Is there any actor alive having a better year than Tiffany Haddish? The comedian finally entered the mainstream playing Dina, a confetti explosion of a person who starts parties as easily as she starts fights. Haddish has since comfortably rode the wave to true stardom. Just don’t use the word “scene-stealer” around her: “I’m from South Central Los Angeles, so for somebody to say you stole something—that’s offensive,” she once jokingly told Vanity Fair.By Michele K. Short/©2017 Universal Studios.
Betty Gabriel — Get Out
Jordan Peele’s feature directorial debut is an instant classic, not least because it introduced the world to the comedian’s brilliant horror sensibilities. It also assembled an extraordinary cast of future stars, including Daniel Kaluuya and Lil Rel Howery, both breakouts in their own right. However, it also introduced mainstream audiences to Betty Gabriel, a little-known actress who plays the incredibly creepy role of Georgina the maid. Who could forget the terrifying “No, no, no” scene when she confronts Kaluuya about touching his cell phone? It’s a horror master class in its own right.Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Pom Klementieff — Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
There’s so much going on in Guardians of the Galaxy that it’s true comedic respite whenever we get to spend time with Klementieff, who plays Mantis. The wide-eyed ward is endlessly curious and absurdly precious, an empath who soaks up all the feelings around her and doles out emotions when other people really need ’em. Protect Mantis at all costs!Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Domhnall Gleeson — Mother!
This demented, polarizing drama from Darren Aronofsky has a Lot! Going! On! But no matter what you think of it, you have to admit that Domhnall Gleeson makes a mesmerizing turn as a Cain-ish evil son who dashes into the mansion like a malevolent whirlwind. (Honorable mention: Kristen Wiig, who shows up toward the end of the film for a surprisingly violent and unintentionally hilarious twist.)By Samir Hussein/Getty Images.
Doug Jones — The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous romance is basically engineered to make you fall in love with Jones, who is unrecognizable as a mysterious creature halfway between a fish and a man. The actor, who’s made a career out of playing a variety of otherwordly creatures, plays this role with a strange sort of innocence mixed with feral roughness—but doesn’t give too much away, always leaving us curious about the fish-man’s story.Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Brooklynn Prince — The Florida Project
Prince is only 7 years old, and The Florida Project is only her second movie! Ever! In it, she plays a little girl named Moonee who lives in an Orlando motel with her mother. Not only does she have natural charisma, but she also easily holds her own with co-star Willem Dafoe, a sign that her nascent career is destined for so much more.Courtesy of A24.
Katey RichKatey Rich is the deputy editor of VanityFair.com.
The post The Clip That Proves Lady Bird, on Top of Everything Else, Is the Perfect Christmas Movie appeared first on News Wire Now.