A touching and emotional film about a spunky 94 year old woman who tells a huge lie, Eleanor The Great is a small movie that will spark big conversations.
I love watching June Squibb on the screen. I don’t care what the film is, I’ll watch it without question. In my imagination, she is one of my grandmother’s friends that I grew up with, but the truth is that she is an accomplished actor who, unbelievably, is still actively working at 95 years old. Have you seen the movie Thelma? If not, add it to your list.
Eleanor The Great is about Eleanor, a 94 year old woman who has been living with her life-long best friend, Bessie, for over a decade, after each of their husbands died. When Bessie suddenly passes, Eleanor moves back to New York to live with her grandson and daughter, with whom she has a prickly relationship. Looking for a community in her new city, she goes to the local JCC, where her daughter has signed her up for a singing class, and ends up following a woman she’d like to befriend into a support group. There, she tells a big lie that she continues to affirm, not knowing how to get out of it.
This is a small movie with a small cast, but it leaves you with big feelings. As Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, I wasn’t sure what she would choose to do, so I had a neutral slate going in. What I found was something with very little flash, a few excellent actors, and a concept that I’ll be thinking about for days.
June Squibb is spectacular as Eleanor. This is a woman who is very much a “know it all” and tells small lies all the time. She rubs many people the wrong way, including her daughter, but when she develops a friendship with a college student, Nina (a vulnerable Erin Kellyman), who is interested in her story, an unlikely bond starts to form. Nina has recently lost her mother, and Eleanor has lost almost everyone in her life and is lonely, so they become a sort of mentor for each other.
There are three main topics that I am still thinking about with this film. First, dealing with grief is incredibly difficult. You lose yourself for a time, and you think that time will never end. Many of us have been there (including me) and it is overwhelming and all-encompassing. So you can give a little grace to those people who act out of character and, if you can, lend an ear.
Second, the people who pass away deserve to have their stories told. They are still part of your life and just because they have left us physically doesn’t mean that they are forgotten. It is okay to tell people their story and remember your loved ones. June has lived a very long life, and between her best friend and others, there are many, many stories.
Third, there is a scene in the film where Eleanor asks her daughter how she thinks she looks in pictures of herself 10 years ago. Her daughter recognizes that while at the time she thought the photos were awful, she’s now aged and thinks she looked pretty amazing then. I can’t say I’ve ever heard this conversation in a movie, and it’s definitely a takeaway.
Eleanor The Great is a film that I highly recommend watching. It is unique and you’ll notice that I can’t talk much about the specifics without ruining your viewing experience, but when you do watch it, I’m happy to talk more. This is definitely not a movie I will forget and, believe me, you won’t either.
Runtime: 94 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Yes
My Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Available: Torent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I love watching June Squibb on the screen. I don’t care what the film is, I’ll watch it without question. In my imagination, she is one of my grandmother’s friends that I grew up with, but the truth is that she is an accomplished actor who, unbelievably, is still actively working at 95 years old. Have you seen the movie Thelma? If not, add it to your list.
