MovieChat Forums > Lady Bird (2017) Discussion > Miguel and Shelly

Miguel and Shelly

posted 7 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
6 replies | jump to latest

Wow. Saw the film yesterday, and really enjoyed it. I'm surprised by all the negative
comments on this board. But, if you didn't like it, you didn't like it.

My only complaint were the characters of Miguel and Shelly. They weren't necessary, and
they were just so nasty. Truly unlikable characters, who did nothing to advance the story.
I also found it very unbelievable that Lady Bird's parents, who had struggled financially
all their lives, would adopt Miguel. The mother, in particular, was very stressed by
their financial situation, and seemed too self-centered to bother adopting a child.

There's a lot of characters in this film, and Miguel and Shelly were, to me, unpleasant
and unnecessary.

[–] CraigJamesReview (1720) 7 years ago

I guess I would agree with you for the most part. They didn't bother me but that's partly because Gerwig doesn't really make them worthy of caring about too much. But yeah, the relationship between Lady Bird and her mom was fantastic and the father and her best friend were also good to a lesser extent.

I'm trying to go for an entertaining, informative youtube channel so, if you have the time, take a look. Hope you enjoy what you see and if you have any thoughts or criticisms, i'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance. Review right here-https://youtu.be/VG9oZ4p6dDc

[–] liscarkat (18460) 7 years ago

They were weird looking freaks, with their facial hardware, etc., but actually they were both more mature and likable than "Lady Bird". Shelly, in particular, was somewhat visually disturbing, yet seemed to be quite thoughtful and nice, unlike Lady Bird.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Disagree. First of all, there is NOTHING redeeming, interesting or likable about these two characters. They only added
clutter to an already character-jammed screenplay.

Secondly, we get to KNOW Lady Bird with far more depth than we do Miguel and Shelly, so we see her flaws and
positive qualities. (she is so supportive of her first boyfriend, who lies to her and cheats on her - yes, CHEATS. The
fact that he's a closet case doesn't change those facts).

The film s would've been leaner without those two extra characters.

[–] AtomicReturns (1252) 7 years ago

There was something interesting about Miguel in my opinion. I think his backstory was that he did graduate with a good degree (wasn't it from UC Berkeley?), but still couldn't find a job, and had to work at a supermarket.

You could say the father's backstory already emphasizes the hard times they are going through, but for Miguel to be struggling already, only put more stress on the mother. And that's when you see her losing it with Lady Bird, who seems to have her head in the idealistic clouds.

And, true, Miguel and sister had an unconventional look with the piercings and clothing styles, but the entire family unit was rather unconventional as it is.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

There was NOTHINNG interesting about Miguel - he was a jerk, a BORE, and only served to add sludge to a screenplay
that was already overcrowded.

[–] liscarkat (18460) 7 years ago

I agree that they weren't necessary, and the film would have been tighter without them.