Eleanor the Great

Eleanor, 94, has been living in Florida for many years. After her husband passed away, her long-time friend Bess moved in for 11 year, until Bess also passed away. Eleanor moved "back" to New York City, where she stayed with her daughter Lisa in her Manhattan apartment, occupying grandson Max's bedroom, as Max is away at college.

A busy professional woman, Lisa can't be Eleanor's companion. Instead, Lisa is searching for a seniors' home for her, and enrolls her in a program at the Jewish Community Center. There, she joins a "group", before finding out that it is a Holocaust survivors' group, where the participants swap their stories. Journalism student Nina is intrigued with Eleanor's story, and befriends her to be interviewed for an article. This gets somewhat out of hand, as Eleanor is actually telling stories Bess had told her, on many a sleepless night when they lived together. Eleanor herself was born in Iowa, not Poland, and converted to Judiaism only upon marriage. As the survivors deal with survivor guilt, Nina is also dealing with the recent passing of her mother, and a father whose response to his loss is silence.

I am usually not keen on Holocaust stories, but this one touched me. June Squibb is wonderful as a bossy old lady, while Rita Zohar is perfect as the actual Holocaust survivor. I do have two quibbles about the film. There is too much of an age difference between Eleanor, her daughter and grandson. It is interesting to be presented with the biblical story of Jacob masquerading as his older twin brother Esau to get their father's blessing - rather than being punished, Jacob founds the nation of Israel. However, this is placed in the context of Eleanor's task for her Bat Mitzvah, and I doubt that she would qualify for the ceremony - as an adult convert, the conversion ceremony should have included Bat Mitzvah elements.

Went to an AMC Movie Unseen for the first time and expected to get a crap movie but what we ended up getting was a charming little movie called Eleanor The Great. A movie about grief done in a charming way that balanced deep grief and humor. This had a great cast but June Squibb was definitely the standout! She had great comedic timing and when she needed to you felt the pain she was feeling. So much so that this had me tearing up towards the end of the film. Is this worth seeing? I would say yes but I don't know how many people will run out to the theaters to see this cause this will definitely fly under the radar for most of the general movie going audience.

By The Numbers breakdown: Cast-6 Acting-8 Trailer-5 Ending-8 Story-8 Visuals-5 Direction-8 Sound-5 Genre-9 Sub Genre-8 The Faces For Radio score - 70.

Different kind of a Holocaust movie. It's sweet and sad, centering around a 94 year old woman who has just lost her best friend and moves from her Florida retirement community to Manhattan to live with her daughter and grandson. Soon after she meets a group of holocaust survivors and feels compelled to tell a story. The story/lie kind of takes on a life of its own and eventually gets out of hand with potentially tragic effect.

It's a small movie, a little bittersweet in its execution and end, but in the end somewhat slow and drab. The acting is generally very good. June Squibb is charming as she always is. A little more depth of character might have garnered her some Oscar consideration, but this performance would be a stretch.

If you have nothing else to do, it's not a waste of time.

Eleanor the Great is a beautifully balanced film that captures the delicate interplay between grief and humor. I found myself deeply moved by how honestly it portrays loss, something that resonated with me on a very personal level, having experienced the pain of losing loved ones myself.

The performances were truly exceptional. The acting felt raw and genuine, allowing me to connect with the story in a very real way. Scarlett Johansson deserves great credit for her work as director. She's crafted a film that is both emotionally powerful and profoundly human.

What stood out most for me was how the character of Eleanor reminded me of my own grandmother, someone I deeply love and admire. That connection made the film's themes of memory, family, and resilience hit even harder.

Eleanor the Great is not just a story about grief, it's a celebration of life, love, and the quiet strength we find in the people we hold dear. A heartfelt, beautifully made film that lingers long after the credits roll.

June Squibb commands the screen and Scarlett Johansson didn't wiff on her first at bat but the script's flaws are hard to get over. Eleanor is framed as witty and fun but she is outright mean and distant. There's no real reason for who she connects with. She mourns her friend without mention of her husband. She keeps linking up with a NYU student but is cold to her daughter. The deception itself is something Eleanor could have easily gotten out of after that first meeting. There were no stakes in admitting it. But she continues lying to an NYU student -- who doesn't know how to Google for a fact check.