June Squibb shines in director Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great”

Oscar winner and former Marvel heroine Scarlett Johansson adds director to her filmography with her debut film, “Eleanor the Great,” produced by Sony Pictures Classics. Tory Kamen writes the screenplay for the film, and it features fellow Academy Award nominee June Squibb in a leading role.

Eleanor Morgenstein (Squibb) and Bessie (Rita Zohar) are two best friends spending their Golden Years in the Sunshine State. While both women may be in their nineties, they remain razor-sharp when it comes to clap backs. Sadly, when Bessie passes away, Eleanor’s daughter, Lisa (Jessica Hecht), suggests that Eleanor move back to the Big Apple.

Initially against the idea, Eleanor is bored daily until one day she accidentally drifts into a Holocaust survivors’ group at a Jewish community center. In a desperate bid to belong, she recounts not her own memories but those of her friend Bessie—stories confided to her over tea in the middle of the night. What begins as borrowed trauma soon sparks a genuine reconnection to her Jewish faith and forges an unexpected bond with a grieving college student, Nina (Erin Kellyman), giving Eleanor a path back to community and a sense of purpose. 

Fresh off her performance in last year’s equally enjoyable “Thelma”, June Squibb brings her ageless wisdom to another film. Judging from the first ten minutes of “Eleanor The Great”, I thought the film would take an angle of having Eleanor rediscovering her youth through borderline NSFW gags and jokes. Instead, the film adopts a more humanistic approach.

Squibb is a delight to watch on screen and brings an everywoman approach to Eleanor that will remind viewers of their own grandmothers. “Eleanor the Great” truly finds its footing when it begins to explore the budding friendship between our titular character and Nina.

Erin Kellyman won me over in “The Falcon and The Winter Solider” and other action or horror roles, so it was great to see her in a role where she isn’t kicking some butt. Kellyman is more subdued in this film, but the chemistry she shares with Squibb feels natural and serves as the heart of the story. The supporting cast is solid, though they lack significant character arcs, except for Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Nina’s dad, who is a local newscaster.

Purists may take issue with the film’s pacing and some of its clichés. However, the presence of June Squibb is undeniable and makes the movie worth watching for those in the mood for something light.

Final Grade : B

“Eleanor the Great” opens in theaters today.