Eleanor the Great

by Mike McGranaghan

Scarlett Johansson makes her feature directing debut with Eleanor the Great, and her choice in material is very telling. As one of the biggest movie stars in the world, she could easily have made a big, splashy film with A-list actors and a huge budget. Instead, she turns in a small personal drama that tackles themes obviously near and dear to her heart. Johansson is telling us something about herself here, as the story is a call for compassion and healing.

The 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein (June Squibb) is joined at the hip with best friend/roommate Bessie (Rita Zohar). When Bessie suddenly dies, Eleanor’s daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) signs her up for a singing class at the local Jewish Community Center, figuring the chance to make new friends will help her mother through her grief. Eleanor ends up going into a different room where, unbeknownst to her, a Holocaust survivors support group is taking place. Feeling pressured to participate, she begins telling Bessie’s story as if it’s her own.

In this group, she also meets Nina (Erin Kellyman), an aspiring reporter whose father Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a well-known TV news commentator. Nina asks to interview Eleanor in depth, a request that perpetuates the lie even further.

Eleanor the Great closely follows the template of the “snowballing lie” premise that’s been used in comedies (While You Were Sleeping), dramas (Shattered Glass), romances (Anyone But You), and even a musical (Dear Evan Hansen). Stealing somebody else’s Holocaust story is reprehensible. The film treats the idea of her doing it seriously, although it finds intermittent humor in the accompanying guilt. The plot winds toward a finale that attempts to say something about the complicated ways grief can be processed. If the movie lets Eleanor off the hook a little too easily, that’s only to make a point about the importance of giving others a bit of grace in their time of mourning.

Not everything in the picture succeeds. A subplot about Roger is totally unnecessary and is primarily here to get the story to its desired ending. Most of the rest of it does succeed, primarily due to the tremendous performance from June Squibb. Alternately funny and heartbreaking, the actress continues her late-career hot streak that began with Nebraska and carried through to last year’s Thelma. She keeps you caring deeply about the character, even when you can’t condone her actions. And while she won’t get the same notice as her co-star, Rita Zohar deserves serious awards consideration in the Best Supporting Actress category for her emotional flashback-driven turn as Bessie.

As director, Johansson shows an admirable ability to zoom in on meaningful personal moments. She also understands the value of quiet in achieving power. Several of the most potent scenes are staged with a calmness that allows viewers to think about what Eleanor is going through. That, in turn, accentuates the work Squibb is doing. Despite a several-decades age gap between them, this is a very pleasing director/actor pairing.

Eleanor the Great is a sweet movie with a big heart. It suggests Scarlett Johansson could have a nice second career behind the camera.

---