Eleanor the Great review: Unexpected gem from Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson‘s directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, has received seriously mixed reviews, but I really liked it and found it to be a sweet film with its heart in the right place.
Those thinking this is going to be a cute little romp are going to be in for a shock when they discover what this is really about. June Squibb, 96, plays our titular Eleanor, who returns to New York to live with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and grandson Max (Will Price) following the death of her best friend and roommate Bessie (Rita Zohar). As her family is always busy, Eleanor heads to the Jewish Community Center and goes into the wrong room and ends up accidentally in the support group for Holocaust survivors.
She initially tries to leave but they insist that she stay, so Eleanor tells Bessie’s survivor story and passes it off as her own. She catches the attention of student journalist Nina (Erin Kellyman), who wants to spotlight her story for her university project. Although Eleanor initially turns down the idea, the lure of someone taking an interest in her proves too irresistible, and she ends up taking Nina up on her offer, and her lie snowballs out of control.
Some people will be totally offended by the concept of this film, and that’s totally understandable. When you reduce it down to “she lies about being a Holocaust survivor”, it sounds really bad. But it’s handled with care and nuance and absolute seriousness. It’s never played for laughs. Plus, Bessie’s stories are movingly told by Bessie in flashbacks. You start to pity Eleanor for going to such lengths to find a new community and companion. Squibb does well as the spiky, hard-to-please woman who insists she’s doing fine when she’s truly very lonely.
She strikes up an unusual friendship with 20-something Nina. This is the heart and soul of the story, not the lie, even though their friendship is built on the lie. You wouldn’t expect their pairing to work, given the age difference, but they are both lonely people who have recently lost loved ones and don’t have anyone else to talk to. Nina’s dad Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor) will not address her mum’s death, and her young friends can’t relate, while Eleanor gives her the space to talk about sad, heavy things. Between this and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Kellyman is really establishing herself as a star.
Eleanor the Great will not be for everyone, but I thought the difficult topic was handled well by all involved. Johansson has made a lovely, poignant film that was not remotely what I expected.
In cinemas from Friday 12th December