Reviews
Eleanor the Great
When I first heard about Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, I was sceptical. Many before her have tried and ultimately failed to make the leap from in front of the camera to behind it. While there is a lot to like here, particularly the inclusion of the treasure that is June Squibb, the film’s questionable tone may ultimately be its downfall.
Eleanor the Great follows 94-year-old Eleanor (June Squibb) as she moves back to New York City from a peaceful beachside home in Florida after the death of her best friend and partner in crime, Bessie (Rita Zohar), to be closer to her family. From the start, Eleanor comes across as a flawed character. She is loving and tender towards Bessie in the brief moments we see them together, yet distant and often cold towards her family. It is a striking contrast that defines her from the very beginning.
As she tries to adjust to life back in the city, Eleanor accidentally joins a Holocaust survivors group at the Manhattan Jewish Community Center. During one of the meetings, she begins to tell the story of her best friend Bessie, who truly was a Holocaust survivor, but she presents the story as her own. The film suggests that Eleanor’s deception comes from grief and a desire to hold on to Bessie’s memory, but it does not always feel believable. To make matters more complicated, one of the guests at the group is Nina (Erin Kellyman), a journalism student from New York University who wants to feature Eleanor’s story for her school project. Nina’s father happens to be Roger Davis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Bessie’s favourite news anchor.
As Eleanor’s story unfolds, she forms an unexpected friendship with Nina while recounting the terrible details of “her” Holocaust journey. Their budding friendship is perhaps the strongest part of the entire movie, often bringing out a wide range of emotional moments. Both women carry an unspoken weight of grief, and as the walls between them gradually come down, their friendship allows them to confront these emotions, even if Eleanor does so a little too late.
The problems I have with Eleanor the Great stem almost entirely from Tory Kamen’s script. When dealing with a subject as raw as the Holocaust, reducing the story to a weepy drama about grief and friendship while the main character is lying may not be the best approach. The dark humour, while occasionally providing comic relief, often feels out of place given the weight of the subject matter. Even more jarring is the film’s handling of Eleanor’s lie. When it inevitably comes to light, we are given a live-on-air monologue about grief from Roger rather than any meaningful accountability as Eleanor settles into her new life.
June Squibb and Erin Kellyman are completely blameless. Both deliver stellar performances, with Squibb stealing nearly every scene with yet another faultless turn. Their on-screen chemistry feels natural and relatable, keeping the film grounded even when the story threatens to unravel. Their performances alone elevate the movie to a watchable level and provide plenty of enjoyable and memorable moments that make it worthwhile.
As a directorial debut, Johansson plays it as safe as possible given the source material. There are no particular scenes that stand out, and nothing that elevates the middling script to a higher level. Credit where credit is due, however, Johansson does play to the strengths of the cast, allowing those fantastic performances to shine. Many debuts are instantly forgettable, so for ensuring that Eleanor the Great is not one of them, she deserves some minor plaudits.
Despite its handling of a sensitive subject like the Holocaust, which may not be to everyone’s taste, there are enough moments of genuine humanity and enjoyment to make Eleanor the Great worth watching and forming your own opinion on.
