The movie “Lady Bird” hasn't just placed Sacramento in the spotlight – it's also getting praise from some local Catholic leaders for the way it portrayed nuns and priests.
"It's in many ways a love letter not just to Sacramento, but a love letter to Catholic schools," said Monsignor James Murphy.
The now retired leader of the Diocese of Sacramento tells ABC10 he was glad to see nuns and priests portrayed in a different light in the coming of age movie.
“We've been through a lot in the past 10 to 15 years,” Murphy adds. Movies like “Spotlight,” which is based on a team of investigative journalists, exposed the sex abuse scandals in the Catholic church in the early 2000s.
Father Murphy says he hopes the Sacramento-based film will help change the audience's perspective about all priests being pedophiles.
"The percentage is something like 3 or 4% of priests that went wrong,” Murphy adds. “That's way too much. One is too much, but it's not 100%. The vast majority of priests and nuns do a good job, and dedicate their lives running schools like St. Francis and that movie helps bring that out and restore the balance."
When it came to the sex and party scenes in Lady Bird, Murphy said they weren't his favorite, but they’re part of real life.
“People of my age group find it difficult to get used to, but they (teens) get through it and they grow up,” Murphy said.