Eleanor the Great

I really like the film, Eleanor The Great. It has a simple but yet incredibly complex storyline, and conveys emotion in a beautiful way. It highlights different perspectives, and shows multiple sides to one story. I am really touched by this movie, and feel that it's important for us as a society to bring more attention to films like this.

Eleanor The Great follows the life of Eleanor (June Squibb), who is trying to navigate her way through life at its later stages. She recently moved back to New York to be with family, after losing one of her closest friends. While trying to find her place in the big city she calls home, she finds herself recalling old stories with nothing but pure intentions, however her small lies eventually catch up to her, and she must learn the power of honesty and accountability.

Scarlett Johansson's directing style is a notable standout in this film. This movie highlights the often quietness and loneliness in people's lives. Each camera angle brings that feeling to the screen. There are so many moments of stillness, where the audience is focused on one thing even, for example, watching Eleanor come back to New York. This is a place that she once called home, and you can really tell how much she's taking it all in. It feels like I'm really seeing New York City through her eyes. Additionally, I enjoy the simplicity of this movie. It isn't a huge blockbuster film, and it doesn't take big expensive sets to make it happen. Everything feels extremely realistic, as if I'm just watching Eleanor's life right beside her. Something else I enjoy is the storyline. This is one of the first movies I've ever watched with an older woman as the main character. Getting to see her perspective on life is so interesting and refreshing. In most films the older characters are often pushed to the side, and seen as someone who has a lot of wisdom. Here, Eleanor is so much more than that. Of course we get her wise advice, but we also get to understand her life. We learn her struggles and dreams, but also what brings her happiness. Hearing her perspective on why she does certain things is fascinating and educational.

The message of Eleanor The Great is that life is valuable, and a reminder to take in everything, even the small things. Please be aware that this film does contain mentions of the Holocaust.

I give Eleanor The Great 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18 plus adults. This film will be released in select theaters starting September 26, 2025.

By Mikella G., KIDS FIRST!

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.

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

June Squibb provides a wonderful, sweet and touching performance about a elderly woman embracing new connections and friendship, in a otherwise, cliched and predictable story and structure.

Throughout, being Scarlett Johansson's debut directing, Johansson's direction feels average as her direction on the atmosphere, writing and style feels unspecial, but maintain it's normality without any issues. With the good production and solid camera work, Johansson does understand how to pull the strings on emotions as there are some solid emotional conversations, chemistry and charm between the characters and performances. Which does offer some sweet moments from June.

As mentioned, June's performance was wonderful as she offers her character to bring out into the light and shine. While the other performances are good, the characters don't feel very fleshed out at times, which made them not particularly engaging or as interesting as Johansson would have liked. Alongside with the cliched narrative, many of the style and choices were pretty cheesy and predictable. If you have seen movies like this before, then you know what will come next without a doubt.

Despite the cliche and predictable style, the general experience was still decent because of June's charmful performance and dialogue energy was able to convey the emotions successfully. She was the absolute best part of this movie. Overall, it isn't something I would see again quickly but it's decently heartwarming.

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.

At 80 years and counting, there won't be many more opportunities to do contemporaneous Holocaust survivor movies. "Eleanor the Great" does it effectively and creatively. The acting, alone, makes the movie worth watching. The plot is good but a little thin.

To make the Holocaust current, Johansson deals with it strictly as personal memory which gets very problematic and interesting. The movie is emotionally dense with sub-themes about friendship; aging; trust; grieving; parents and daughters; ethnicity; and faith to name only some. I was little frustrated because the movie touches on all these profound issues but leaves most of them hanging.

The acting is absolutely stellar - maybe the product of a director who is also good actor. The plot weaves between two overlapping friendships and families, all completely believable. They are loving, sweet, dysfunctional, committed, withholding. You are likely to see something from your own family.

With all this going on, I still got a little bored about two-thirds through. The story needed just a little more action. Another weakness is the big "redemptive moment" between the father and daughter. I just don't think it would work that way, in real life. There were several other restored relationships that just happen, without enough explanation. There was also some miscasting, related to age.

But these flaws aren't big enough to ruin the movie - they surely won't bother everyone.

I don't know who gets nominated for acting awards, or why, but I think June Squibb, Erin Kellyman and Rita Zohar all deserve it. More than enough reason to watch "Eleanor the Great."