Eleanor the Great

I really wanted to like this movie but it didn’t know what kind of movie it was supposed to be. The performances are top notch and the direction was well done, but the script was weak and needed more clarity.

"Eleanor the Great" is a very strong first feature from Scarlett Johansson but it never quite grapples with the ethical dilemmas that it raises and never quite recovers from the moral issue at its center even though June Squibb’s lively performance makes this watchable. Following the death of her lifelong friend Bessie, a converted Jew, Eleanor Morgenstein finds herself adrift in the quiet Florida retirement community she once moved to with her late husband. Concerned for her mother’s well-being, Eleanor’s daughter, Lisa, brings her back to New York to live with her and her teenage son, Max. In search of a new community, Eleanor wanders into the local Jewish Community Center and inadvertently joins a Holocaust survivors’ group, at first she tries to tell them she's in the wrong support group but then she goes a long by using her late friend Bessie's story as an experience that gradually draws her out of her shell and back into life. Originally titled Eleanor, Invisible, "Eleanor the Great" marks the confident feature directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, known until now for a pair of well-received short films. The movie had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, followed by a gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival. Written by Tory Kamen, the film is a deeply personal but emotionally unintelligent exploration of grief, identity, and legacy. It stars June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. June Squibb, in her second major lead role following Thelma, gives a performance that is nothing short of remarkable. This is her lane and is great at playing a sweetly cantankerous old woman. She captures Eleanor’s quiet sorrow, her dry humor, and her resilient spirit with a subtlety that feels both lived-in and authentic but once this get into serious territory you're like how is she gonna get out of this. There’s a palpable sense that Squibb is drawing from her own life experience, lending the character a profound depth and warmth. It’s a role that seems tailor-made for her, and she delivers it with grace and emotional precision and elevates the material. British actress Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) does offer a touching counterpoint as a grief-stricken NYU student also searching for connection after losing her mother. Known for her politically charged and often intense performances, Kellyman reveals a softer, more vulnerable side here. Her portrayal is nuanced and affecting, expanding her range in a way that feels both natural and deeply empathetic. Chiwetel Ejifor plays Erin Kellyman's father Roger a TV news anchor who is also quietly dealing with grief after his wife tragically died and doesn't wanna talk about it with his daughter. Nina (Kellyman) is looking for a project do research on so she profiles Eleanor and then asks her dad to do a story on her on his news channel. The screenplay from Tory Kamen really isn't very though through because she writes Eleanor into a corner that doesn't explain why she goes on with this lie just to form a connection. When is lying about being a holocaust survivor is being done for comedic effect it's a hard tone to nail and Scarlett Johannson isn't as skilled of a director yet to really thread that needle and we've seen this type of comedy before where someone starts lying and the lie gets bigger and bigger and we know where the movie is going by the end. When they're in the synagog Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds out the truth about Eleanor after reading Bessie's obituary in an article. This is something where this whole movie would fall apart it someone found out by with a Google search and then after he delivers this very mawkish monologue about Eleanor the Great after finding out the truth because he has to put something on the air now. At its core, Eleanor the Great is way too sentimental meditation on loss—not just of loved ones, but of place, purpose, and time. Johansson’s direction is very respectful and does get good performances from her actors, allowing moments of silence and small gestures to speak volumes but the screenplay feels way formulaic to find any resonance. The film also delves into Jewish customs and the trauma and resilience of Holocaust survivors with a reverence that never feels exploitative. It honors their stories and at the same time, reminds viewers that while these voices may one day fall silent, their experiences—and the lessons they carry—must endure. Tender and funny in places, but messy, "Eleanor the Great" is a sly off kilter comedy drama about affirms that grief will cause you to run away from your old life, but part of its messy, beautiful continuum. Johansson's debut feature isn't any triumph but it's a sweet—and a hokey quiet celebration of human connection in all its forms.

Force feeding cultural lies from the beginning. Hard to watch because the programming is insane from the start. The humor was dryer than typical British humor, which is unreal how off-putting that is coming from a US movie. Hollywood can't create anything of value anymore and this brainwashing snooze fest induces more cringe than 67 memes.