Going by the name of "Lady Bird", outspoken Catholic high-school senior student Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is dreaming big of finally leaving her hometown of Sacramento, California, practically on pins and needles to attend a sophisticated New York City college. However, with her average grades and her family struggling to keep afloat, attending a public university closer to home would be a lot cheaper and safer, especially after last year's devastating 9/11 attack. In the end, amid grades, numerous college applications, blooming teenage sexuality, and a strong-willed mother who is a real mother-hen, Lady Bird must find a way to make her dreams happen. Can she survive life's bumps and cracks?—Nick Riganas