My wife and I saw the movie Eleanor the Great at a recent Saturday matinee at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany. We were not disappointed. The IMDb noted, “After a devastating loss, witty and proudly troublesome Eleanor Morgenstein, 94, tells a tale that takes on its own dangerous life.”
Eleanor (June Squibb) lived with her long-time friend Bessie (Rita Zohar), a pair of widows, for over a decade. Bessie was a Holocaust survivor who shared harrowing details with her friend.
After Bessie’s death, Eleanor moved to Manhattan to live with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and her grandson Max (Will Price). Eleanor and Lisa have a tricky relationship.
To fill her mom’s day, Lisa recommended that Eleanor go to an event at the Jewish Community Center. It turns out that it’s a Holocaust survivor’s group, and Eleanor is not a survivor. But she knows another’s story quite well. The group is entranced, especially college student Lisa (Erin Kellyman), who wants to write about Eleanor for her class.
Lisa, too, has experienced loss and is having a tough time connecting with her father, local newsman Roger Davis (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Critics
Eleanor the Great is Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut. We liked the film a lot. An interesting device was having a flashback serve as the last scene.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 67% positive reviews from critics and 93% from the audience. I believe the majority of the negative comments the film either addressed or wasn’t saying.
“Dull portrait of friendship”? Meh.
“This comedy/drama is problematic because it tries to make dishonesty and rudeness from an old person look cute.” The dishonesty wasn’t cute; she fell into it, much to our discomfort. And Eleanor WAS a bit rude. I hope I’m that rude at 94.
Tara McNamera noted: “Plenty will see this film about sidestepping the truth as standard fare—cute enough, maybe even a little thought-provoking—but they’ll be missing the bigger picture. In fact, Scarlett Johansson‘s feature directing debut is remarkable. The story of Eleanor the Great is powerful… It’s a very personal story, with shocking details about Nazi cruelty and the lasting trauma inflicted on the survivors of their hatred.”
I liked June Squibb in Nebraska and Thelma, and I loved her in Eleanor the Great.
