Eleanor la Grande

Greetings again from the darkness. You've likely heard the old saying that you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Well, the same goes for a lie ... and sometimes even an innocent lie takes on a life of its own and begins to wreak havoc. This happens to Eleanor, and yet we somehow empathize with her in this film that is not just the first screenplay from Tory Kamen, it's also the first feature film directed by Scarlett Johnansson.

When we first meet Eleanor (June Squibb, fresh off her lead role in THELMA, 2024) and Bessie (Rita Zohar, AMADEUS, 1984), the two elderly ladies are best friends who have lived together for fifteen years or so in Florida. They spend their days regaling each other with stories over coffee, at the beach doing bench exercises, and at home around the kitchen table. We see how much they appreciate and value each other's friendship. As happens with old friends, Bessie passes away, and 94-year-old Eleanor moves back to New York to live with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht, DAN IN REAL LIFE, 2007) and grandson Max (Will Price, "Goosebumps").

Despite her age, or perhaps emboldened by it, Eleanor's sharp tongue too often hits hard, especially when criticizing Lisa. It's a trip to JCC that erroneously misdirects Eleanor into a support group of Holocaust survivors. Whether she's embarrassed or just lonely for company, Eleanor doesn't come clean and instead begins telling Bessie's stories as if they were her own. One of the group's observers that day is Nina (Erin Kellyman, THE GREEN KNIGHT, 2021), a university journalism student, who is so moved by Eleanor's stories that she pesters her to sit for an interview.

Remember that whole thing about a lie taking on a life of its own? Well, Nina and Eleanor become friends, and Eleanor's wisdom helps Nina deal with a particularly emotional period. Oh, and Nina's dad, Roger Davies (Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, 2013), is a local TV journalist who sees the potential of taking Eleanor's stories to a wider audience. It's truly a mess that Eleanor finds herself in, and if/when the truth comes out, so many could be hurt from her break in trust.

It's June Squibb's remarkable performance that elevates this film to one that many will find emotional. Ms. Squibb turns 96 years old this year and now has a couple of strong lead roles to her credit after a terrific career as a character actor (NEBRASKA, 2013). Here, it's Eleanor's bond with Nina that's the heart of the story, and a reminder that sometimes good people do bad things - and those bad things may be driven by good intentions ... or even grief. Additionally, we must now recognize Scarlett Johnansson as a filmmaker who can handle complex stories and characters, and deliver entertainment for an audience.

Opens in theaters on September 26, 2025.

Eleanor the Great is a beautifully balanced film that captures the delicate interplay between grief and humor. I found myself deeply moved by how honestly it portrays loss, something that resonated with me on a very personal level, having experienced the pain of losing loved ones myself.

The performances were truly exceptional. The acting felt raw and genuine, allowing me to connect with the story in a very real way. Scarlett Johansson deserves great credit for her work as director. She's crafted a film that is both emotionally powerful and profoundly human.

What stood out most for me was how the character of Eleanor reminded me of my own grandmother, someone I deeply love and admire. That connection made the film's themes of memory, family, and resilience hit even harder.

Eleanor the Great is not just a story about grief, it's a celebration of life, love, and the quiet strength we find in the people we hold dear. A heartfelt, beautifully made film that lingers long after the credits roll.

I really like the film, Eleanor The Great. It has a simple but yet incredibly complex storyline, and conveys emotion in a beautiful way. It highlights different perspectives, and shows multiple sides to one story. I am really touched by this movie, and feel that it's important for us as a society to bring more attention to films like this.

Eleanor The Great follows the life of Eleanor (June Squibb), who is trying to navigate her way through life at its later stages. She recently moved back to New York to be with family, after losing one of her closest friends. While trying to find her place in the big city she calls home, she finds herself recalling old stories with nothing but pure intentions, however her small lies eventually catch up to her, and she must learn the power of honesty and accountability.

Scarlett Johansson's directing style is a notable standout in this film. This movie highlights the often quietness and loneliness in people's lives. Each camera angle brings that feeling to the screen. There are so many moments of stillness, where the audience is focused on one thing even, for example, watching Eleanor come back to New York. This is a place that she once called home, and you can really tell how much she's taking it all in. It feels like I'm really seeing New York City through her eyes. Additionally, I enjoy the simplicity of this movie. It isn't a huge blockbuster film, and it doesn't take big expensive sets to make it happen. Everything feels extremely realistic, as if I'm just watching Eleanor's life right beside her. Something else I enjoy is the storyline. This is one of the first movies I've ever watched with an older woman as the main character. Getting to see her perspective on life is so interesting and refreshing. In most films the older characters are often pushed to the side, and seen as someone who has a lot of wisdom. Here, Eleanor is so much more than that. Of course we get her wise advice, but we also get to understand her life. We learn her struggles and dreams, but also what brings her happiness. Hearing her perspective on why she does certain things is fascinating and educational.

The message of Eleanor The Great is that life is valuable, and a reminder to take in everything, even the small things. Please be aware that this film does contain mentions of the Holocaust.

I give Eleanor The Great 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18 plus adults. This film will be released in select theaters starting September 26, 2025.

By Mikella G., KIDS FIRST!

Went to an AMC Movie Unseen for the first time and expected to get a crap movie but what we ended up getting was a charming little movie called Eleanor The Great. A movie about grief done in a charming way that balanced deep grief and humor. This had a great cast but June Squibb was definitely the standout! She had great comedic timing and when she needed to you felt the pain she was feeling. So much so that this had me tearing up towards the end of the film. Is this worth seeing? I would say yes but I don't know how many people will run out to the theaters to see this cause this will definitely fly under the radar for most of the general movie going audience.

By The Numbers breakdown: Cast-6 Acting-8 Trailer-5 Ending-8 Story-8 Visuals-5 Direction-8 Sound-5 Genre-9 Sub Genre-8 The Faces For Radio score - 70.

So the way this film came across promotional wise because I never saw any information about it. I just saw the poster and with the name being Eleanor the Great for some reason, I thought this was gonna be one of those terrible movies because I thought it was gonna be based on some ancient person and we just cast an older lady in the film, to play off of that historical character. But that is not what this film was actually about so I will say that the marketing for this film was definitely incorrect and should've been done better.

This film follows an older woman who's dealing with the sadness of the loss of her friend, and befriends a young girl who is dealing with the loss of her mother. This unlikely friendship becomes a very soft spot for the entire film. Scarlett Johansson did an incredible job at captivating each character within this film by not only giving us delivery from the screenplay, which was strong, but also allowing us to follow along with an incredible story.

In the beginning, I personally thought this was gonna be some goofy comedy. Eventually I realized this was not gonna be anything that is Oscar-ready or an Oscar contender. This was just going to be a typical June Squibb film and, I'll be honest, June isn't always one of my actresses of choice.

I chose this movie because I've seen everything else in theaters and reviewed everything that is new and I wanted to give this movie a fair shot. This movie hangs on every word. The emotions, the character development, and the story itself linger in your mind. Sometimes you're angry and sometimes you're sad, but ultimately at the end of the day it's inspirational.

I can't believe the way this film turned-not in a negative light. The film turned from what I thought was happening and started questioning slowly to exactly what I was feeling. And instead of me just stating the words I knew were coming, I found myself saying: "Wow, that's tough, that's impactful, that is hard-hitting."

You can't watch this movie and not have a soft spot for Eleanor. June Squibb really did an outstanding job at delivering this story to the point your heart not only aches for her as a person, but Scarlett Johansson also allows your heart to ache for the rest of the cast as well.

Erin Kellyman does an exceptional job playing Nina, a character that sets her heart in her journalism class, but also sets her heart toward her friendship with Eleanor. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger, Nina's father, eventually became a pivotal part of this story, delivering what was necessary in the love for his daughter and the grieving loss of his wife that he was unable to settle with.

The story itself is beautiful, it's very sad and heartbreaking. June surprisingly delivers an incredible, iconic performance that I would've never seen coming from her. I did not like the daughter Lisa, played by Jessica Hecht. She was very nasty to her mother no matter what-she blatantly felt like she treated her mother like she was worthless and not worth her time. So I didn't like that character at all because I felt like she was probably one of the worst daughters in the world. I don't care if at the end she brings her a flower, that's all I'm gonna say because I don't wanna ruin the film for you. But she was terrible-like absolutely just terrible altogether. I think that is literally the award for the worst daughter in any lifetime for any parent. I wouldn't wish that daughter on anybody.

And then the grandson Max, played by Will Price, just seemed like a mama's boy. When he was on screen, he felt like a character that I was confused by. I was like-is he high on set? Is his character supposed to be high? Or is this just how this actor acts? So I would've recast him with someone different because I just didn't feel his character. I felt like he was more struggling with acting limitations, because he did not add any empathy or any emotion to the story. He was pretty much just a character that you could throw away. It wasn't even necessary to be honest with you.

The only other thing that was pivotal to the film-because like I said, everything's positive, I enjoyed it, but you still have to call out negativity when it's there also because at the end of the day you're trying to entice an audience to see these films and love these films the way you felt compassionate about the film. But the little girl at the bat mitzvah, who was singing, has really resonated in my head. I understand she's a child actor, but if you're going to subject yourself to a film, you take the criticism. That little girl could not sing, and her voice was so piercing that when she was performing, you were pulled out of the moment you were supposed to be in because it was so bad.

Normally, I don't critique little parts like that that are kind of irrelevant for the moment, but it was so memorable in a bad way that unfortunately that's my perception of it. I really do wish they would've at least gotten someone who could carry a tune so that pivotal moment could've resonated more and I could've felt Eleanor's feelings during that time. But I couldn't, because I was too worried about that sound.

I did enjoy the film and I recommend it, and I do believe Scarlett Johansson may actually have an Oscar contender on her hands for her debut as a director.