Eleanor the Great review by Bobby Blakey
Ever since seeing her in 2013s Nebraska I have been a huge fan. If she is in it, I am there and she never disappoints. She has recently been getting to headline features more instead of just being a supporting player in great films like Thelma and now in Eleanor the Great which also marks the directorial debut of Scarlet Johansson. The film co-stars Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Rita Zohar and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Could this be yet another great film for this brilliant actress or will it be an unbelievable story?
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Eleanor the Great follows Eleanor Morgenstein who has always stayed engaged and connected to the people around her. So, after a devastating loss, she relocates from Florida to New York City to live with her daughter and grandson, hoping to reconnect with her family. Instead, she feels even more adrift and invisible. One day she unknowingly wanders into a support group where she doesn't quite belong, only to reveal a story that unwittingly brings her a level of attention she did not intend.
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I wasn’t quite sure what level of heft we were going to get, but this film surprised me in the number of layers it brings. The opening moments of the film, setting up the friendship between these two ladies, are beautiful, funny and heartbreaking. Throughout the film we are given more glimpses into their life together and it could have been the film all by itself. Squibb and Rita Zohar have amazing chemistry together and make you truly believe in their history together. It is everything to this film and that is just the beginning of the journey we are taken on.
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The film easily could have gotten lost in the usual tropes of senior citizens and their day-to-day life, but this goes so much deeper. The film takes an interesting turn that sets Eleanor on an unexpected journey that is bringing so much more to the table than just her own need to be seen. The film dives deep into loss and grief with not just Squibb, but also in the side story that brings it all together. As it all unfolds it becomes clearer to what is really the reasoning behind it all, which isn’t all that surprising but hits you in the feels.
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I loved this movie and was so happy to see June Squibb once again knock it out of the park. She is a force of happiness and brilliance in every role and can only hope we are blessed with many more performances from her. Johansson also does a great job in the director’s chair, and I look forward to seeing what else she brings to the table in her filmography behind the camera.
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Decide for yourself and check out Eleanor the Great available now on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Classics.