It's a rare event, but, yes, sometimes the director of American Pie makes a really good movie. The last one was probably About a Boy back in 2002. Grandma is a charming little indie with some fine acting, good character work and some touching emotion. Lily Tomlin plays an aging lesbian poet who is visited by her granddaughter (Julia Garner). She is hoping for money to pay for an abortion, but Grandma is broke. The film follows them as they go from place to place, hoping to get a loan or owed money or sell something valuable. The past is filled in by these encounters. The supporting cast is ace and includes Marcia Gay Harden, Sam Elliot, Judy Greer, Elizabeth Pena (who passed away about a year ago) and Laverne Cox (lovely to see her make the leap to feature film). It's Tomlin's movie, of course, but one should not overlook how good Garner is in the more passive role. I knew I recognized her from somewhere - it turned out to be Martha Marcy May Marlene - she should become a huge star. Okay, maybe it's because she's cute and I love her hair so much, but she is very good here.
99 Reviews
The movie does have a very good message and is very much worth seeing but the real reason to check this out is for Lily Tomlin.
cosmo_tiger8 February 2016
"I'm not trying to ruin your life. I'm not perfect, we're not all perfect." Elle (Tomlin) is bitter and stubborn. When she gets into a fight with her girlfriend and they break up she acts tough. When her granddaughter Sage (Garner) asking for her help Elle takes her under her wing and does everything she can to help her out. What Elle finds is that this experience helps her more than she expected. This is a movie I was not sure what to expect. The few Lily Tomlin movies I have seen have been Big Business and 9 to 5, not really my favorites. I was totally shocked by her in this movie, in a good way. Lily Tomlin is hilarious in this and plays a role you have never seen her in before. Picture Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa as portrayed by Lily Tomlin. The stuff she says is pretty offensive and so out of the blue that you can't help but laugh. The movie does have a very good message and is very much worth seeing but the real reason to check this out is for Lily Tomlin. Overall, smartly written with a version of Lily Tomlin you have never seen. I give this a B+.
3 generations of spitfire women
ferguson-63 September 2015
Greetings again from the darkness. Perhaps your mental picture of a grandma is the familiar form of a Norman Rockwell painting
a sweet, bespectacled little lady baking pies or knitting booties or kicking back in a rocking chair as the grandkids romp around her. If so, Lily Tomlin will jolt you into reality with her performance in this latest from writer/director Paul Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie).
The film kicks off with Elle (Ms. Tomlin) breaking up with her much younger girlfriend (Judy Greer). As with many relationship break-ups, the tone shifts quickly with an increase in 'let's talk about it'. Elle tosses out "You're a footnote" as a zinger that quickly ends any hope of reconciliation. It's an uncomfortable opening scene that aptly sets the stage for what we are going to witness over the rest of the movie Elle has lived quite a life, but has been unable to move on since the death of her long time companion – a recurring subject throughout.
The six segments of the film are titled: Endings, Ink, Apes, The Ogre, Kids, Dragonflies. Don't expect those descriptions to help you guess the direction of the film. Instead, it plays out like a road trip through Elle's past albeit with a very contemporary feel. See, her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) shows up at the house asking to borrow $600 for an abortion. Despite her career as a poet of some notoriety, Elle is tapped out at the moment. So the two of them set out in Elle's 1955 Dodge Royal (Ms. Tomlin's real life car), and proceed to visit people (and hit them up for cash) who have played a role in Elle's most interesting life.
During this journey – which all happens during a single day – the ladies cross paths with Sage's clueless boyfriend (a miscast Nat Woolf), a transgender tattoo artist (Laverne Cox) who owes Elle the money she lent for enhancement, a small business owner (the final appearance of the late Elizabeth Pena) who is a bit more tough-minded than Elle gives her credit for, a long ago ex-husband of Elle's (the best performance from Sam Elliott in years) who still carries heartbreak , and most bombastic of all, Elle's daughter and Sage's mom – a workaholic, no non-sense, Type A professional (played with vigor by Marcia Gay Harden).
Much will be made of the film treating Sage's decision so matter-of-factly, but it makes for nice contrast to Juno, where the decision to abort an unwanted pregnancy is abruptly reversed when she's told the baby has fingernails. This movie even offers a tip of the cap to that scene (bravo Sarah Burns), but is never preachy or heavy-handed in its dealing with Sage. It's a young girl in a real life situation, and she is depending on her dysfunctional family to provide financial and moral support.
One might describe this as an art-house movie with wider appeal. Lily Tomlin makes this a must-see, as do Julia Garner and Sam Elliott. Some will avoid it due to the abortion topic, but this is much more a story of three strong women who are related to each other – even if they don't always relate to each other.
The film kicks off with Elle (Ms. Tomlin) breaking up with her much younger girlfriend (Judy Greer). As with many relationship break-ups, the tone shifts quickly with an increase in 'let's talk about it'. Elle tosses out "You're a footnote" as a zinger that quickly ends any hope of reconciliation. It's an uncomfortable opening scene that aptly sets the stage for what we are going to witness over the rest of the movie Elle has lived quite a life, but has been unable to move on since the death of her long time companion – a recurring subject throughout.
The six segments of the film are titled: Endings, Ink, Apes, The Ogre, Kids, Dragonflies. Don't expect those descriptions to help you guess the direction of the film. Instead, it plays out like a road trip through Elle's past albeit with a very contemporary feel. See, her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) shows up at the house asking to borrow $600 for an abortion. Despite her career as a poet of some notoriety, Elle is tapped out at the moment. So the two of them set out in Elle's 1955 Dodge Royal (Ms. Tomlin's real life car), and proceed to visit people (and hit them up for cash) who have played a role in Elle's most interesting life.
During this journey – which all happens during a single day – the ladies cross paths with Sage's clueless boyfriend (a miscast Nat Woolf), a transgender tattoo artist (Laverne Cox) who owes Elle the money she lent for enhancement, a small business owner (the final appearance of the late Elizabeth Pena) who is a bit more tough-minded than Elle gives her credit for, a long ago ex-husband of Elle's (the best performance from Sam Elliott in years) who still carries heartbreak , and most bombastic of all, Elle's daughter and Sage's mom – a workaholic, no non-sense, Type A professional (played with vigor by Marcia Gay Harden).
Much will be made of the film treating Sage's decision so matter-of-factly, but it makes for nice contrast to Juno, where the decision to abort an unwanted pregnancy is abruptly reversed when she's told the baby has fingernails. This movie even offers a tip of the cap to that scene (bravo Sarah Burns), but is never preachy or heavy-handed in its dealing with Sage. It's a young girl in a real life situation, and she is depending on her dysfunctional family to provide financial and moral support.
One might describe this as an art-house movie with wider appeal. Lily Tomlin makes this a must-see, as do Julia Garner and Sam Elliott. Some will avoid it due to the abortion topic, but this is much more a story of three strong women who are related to each other – even if they don't always relate to each other.
Tomlin Is Superb in This Unconventional Indie
larrys312 February 2016
Lily Tomlin is superb here starring as the acerbic Elle, a known poet and author, who's having trouble writing again after her same-sex partner, of some 38 years, passed away. One day, Elle gets a surprise visit from her granddaughter Sage, who tells Elle that she's pregnant and needs over $600 for a scheduled abortion later that day. Julia Garner is also excellent in her portrayal of Sage.
Thus the two women will begin an odyssey around town in an attempt to raise the money. At times, things will get crude and rude, and there are some rough spots, but there's also some good humor and I thought it all culminated in an uplifting ending.
Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, and Sam Elliott also add well to the mix in supporting roles. Additionally, the film is well written and directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy).
All in all, this indie at only 1 hr. and 18 min. in length, led by Tomlin and Garner, with strong support from the cast, kept me absorbed and interested in how it would all play out.
Thus the two women will begin an odyssey around town in an attempt to raise the money. At times, things will get crude and rude, and there are some rough spots, but there's also some good humor and I thought it all culminated in an uplifting ending.
Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, and Sam Elliott also add well to the mix in supporting roles. Additionally, the film is well written and directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy).
All in all, this indie at only 1 hr. and 18 min. in length, led by Tomlin and Garner, with strong support from the cast, kept me absorbed and interested in how it would all play out.
Paul Weitz's crisp writing with Lily Tomlin's impeccable timing make for a beautiful combination....
ClaytonDavis20 April 2015
Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)
2015 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: Paul Weitz gave the world "About a Boy" over a decade ago, masterfully telling a story through it character's relationships and actions. The well-received film garnered major acclaim from critics and got Weitz his first Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, Weitz has never returned to that type of reception with admirable yet very visual missteps along the way like "In Good Company." In his newest venture "Grandma," the writer/director puts forth his finest work of his career. He doesn't get all the kudos though. Star Lily Tomlin, a veteran comedic actress that has been sadly overlooked too many times in her career, delivers one of the performances of her career. Possibly THE best.
"Grandma" tells the story of Elle Reid, a misanthropic lesbian who has her world turned upside down when her 18-year-old granddaughter comes to her help. With a day's journey in front of them, and with a goal in mind, the two women share their feelings with one another while confronting their past, and looking forward to their future.
Hands down, front to back, this film excels and soars on the work of Academy Award nominated actress Lily Tomlin. I can't recall a time when Tomlin has been more vulnerable, available, and prodigious as she demonstrates in Weitz's picture. Through all the vulgarity and rough edges, Tomlin finds Elle's humanity. You'd have to go back to something like Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets" to find someone in a comedy who is so complex in nature yet so gratifying and beautiful in essence. Elle's baggage may be pushed down as deep as it can go, but Tomlin allows the audience to see what's underneath at the most suitable times. She'll break your heart and bring you to tears. Make no mistake, Lily Tomlin delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. Tomlin isn't the only one firing on all cylinders. As Sage, Elle's granddaughter, Julia Garner holds her own against the veteran actress. In another enriched turn, Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden delivers her best work since "Mystic River." A brief but sensational work that stands out. Judy Greer, as always, is terrific in her minimal amount of screen time. Someone please give the woman more roles to work with. Magnificently emotional and present is veteran actor Sam Elliott, who hits one out of the park as Karl. Here's an actor whose been virtually everywhere for the past five decades with stand out turns in "Gettysburg," "Wyatt Earp," "Up in the Air," and more. With a career that's been as impressive as his, with a turn as memorable as he delivers, Elliott should be among the conversation for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. He caps off an impeccable ensemble.
If there's one film at the Tribeca Film Festival that can become a conversation starter for awards at the end of the year, "Grandma" has that power. An enlightening and moving film that garners big laughs and big tears; Paul Weitz has created the crowning work of his career.
April showers bring May flowers, and "Grandma" is that beautiful flower for the season. One of the best films that 2015 is sure to offer.
2015 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: Paul Weitz gave the world "About a Boy" over a decade ago, masterfully telling a story through it character's relationships and actions. The well-received film garnered major acclaim from critics and got Weitz his first Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, Weitz has never returned to that type of reception with admirable yet very visual missteps along the way like "In Good Company." In his newest venture "Grandma," the writer/director puts forth his finest work of his career. He doesn't get all the kudos though. Star Lily Tomlin, a veteran comedic actress that has been sadly overlooked too many times in her career, delivers one of the performances of her career. Possibly THE best.
"Grandma" tells the story of Elle Reid, a misanthropic lesbian who has her world turned upside down when her 18-year-old granddaughter comes to her help. With a day's journey in front of them, and with a goal in mind, the two women share their feelings with one another while confronting their past, and looking forward to their future.
Hands down, front to back, this film excels and soars on the work of Academy Award nominated actress Lily Tomlin. I can't recall a time when Tomlin has been more vulnerable, available, and prodigious as she demonstrates in Weitz's picture. Through all the vulgarity and rough edges, Tomlin finds Elle's humanity. You'd have to go back to something like Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets" to find someone in a comedy who is so complex in nature yet so gratifying and beautiful in essence. Elle's baggage may be pushed down as deep as it can go, but Tomlin allows the audience to see what's underneath at the most suitable times. She'll break your heart and bring you to tears. Make no mistake, Lily Tomlin delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. Tomlin isn't the only one firing on all cylinders. As Sage, Elle's granddaughter, Julia Garner holds her own against the veteran actress. In another enriched turn, Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden delivers her best work since "Mystic River." A brief but sensational work that stands out. Judy Greer, as always, is terrific in her minimal amount of screen time. Someone please give the woman more roles to work with. Magnificently emotional and present is veteran actor Sam Elliott, who hits one out of the park as Karl. Here's an actor whose been virtually everywhere for the past five decades with stand out turns in "Gettysburg," "Wyatt Earp," "Up in the Air," and more. With a career that's been as impressive as his, with a turn as memorable as he delivers, Elliott should be among the conversation for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. He caps off an impeccable ensemble.
If there's one film at the Tribeca Film Festival that can become a conversation starter for awards at the end of the year, "Grandma" has that power. An enlightening and moving film that garners big laughs and big tears; Paul Weitz has created the crowning work of his career.
April showers bring May flowers, and "Grandma" is that beautiful flower for the season. One of the best films that 2015 is sure to offer.
The most excellent adventure two women have taken since Thelma and Louise.
subxerogravity25 August 2015
I thought it was a great film, very enjoyable as a girl and her grandma search for the money so that she can get an abortion.
The whole thing felt like it was two joints away from Being a stoner comedy, especially from the perspective of Lilly Tomilin's performance in it as the eccentric grandma with some serious baggage of her own who wishes to help her granddaughter, and on the this journey they take together the granddaughter learns a lot about her grandmother without coming all out to reveal anything. Lilly Tomilin takes first billing on the poster even though it seems like Julia Garner's character is really the center of attention as she explores Grandma's universe.
I Like Sam Elliot's role in the movie as well. Maybe he was just that charming, like he was supporting Blythe Danner in I'll See You in My Dreams or I feel for the character he plays, the one time love interest of Grandma before she came out of the closet. Either way it works.
It's an amusing story about family coming together when one is in need. We all should be lucky to be able to relate to what's going on. It's also about it never being too late to come though for those you love.
Very humorous.
The whole thing felt like it was two joints away from Being a stoner comedy, especially from the perspective of Lilly Tomilin's performance in it as the eccentric grandma with some serious baggage of her own who wishes to help her granddaughter, and on the this journey they take together the granddaughter learns a lot about her grandmother without coming all out to reveal anything. Lilly Tomilin takes first billing on the poster even though it seems like Julia Garner's character is really the center of attention as she explores Grandma's universe.
I Like Sam Elliot's role in the movie as well. Maybe he was just that charming, like he was supporting Blythe Danner in I'll See You in My Dreams or I feel for the character he plays, the one time love interest of Grandma before she came out of the closet. Either way it works.
It's an amusing story about family coming together when one is in need. We all should be lucky to be able to relate to what's going on. It's also about it never being too late to come though for those you love.
Very humorous.
Script and performances
kosmasp17 June 2016
Now I get that this movie is not for everyone. It's very "talky" (the dialog though is really something to behold, unless you have issues with bad language) and it has very strong female roles/characters throughout. Male counterparts are very few and in between. Though still cast greatly as you can see in the cast list.
And you need every piece to make this work. And work it does, when you hear Lily T. going off and see her flaws, but also her charm, it's pure joy to watch. Unless you do want your movies packed with action rather than words of course or where expecting this to be a horror movie (the title alone could suggest a lot of things, if you are not aware of the story). I'm almost surprised by the fact this has not a higher rating though ... and it's kind of a shame!
And you need every piece to make this work. And work it does, when you hear Lily T. going off and see her flaws, but also her charm, it's pure joy to watch. Unless you do want your movies packed with action rather than words of course or where expecting this to be a horror movie (the title alone could suggest a lot of things, if you are not aware of the story). I'm almost surprised by the fact this has not a higher rating though ... and it's kind of a shame!
Tomlin rocks in this indie gem
lasttimeisaw6 February 2016
Title: Grandma Year: 2015 Country: USA Language: English Genre: Comedy, Drama Director/Writer: Paul Weitz Music: Joel P. West Cinematography: Tobias Datum Cast: Lily Tomlin Julia Garner Judy Greer Marcia Gay Harden Sam Elliott Laverne Cox Nat Wolff Elizabeth Peña Lauren Tom Judy Geeson Frank Collison John Cho Colleen Camp Mo Aboul-Zelof Sarah Burns Carlos Miranda Rating: 7.4/10
The 10th feature film of Paul Weitz, the USA director who has brought us American PIE (1999), is a Lily Tomlin tailor-made drama-comedy, which shot only in 19 days in a puny budget. It stars Tomlin as the titular grandma Elle, a lesbian who has lost her long-time companion about one and a half year ago, the movie depicts her life in one particular day, divided over 6 chapters, starts with an intense break-up with her much younger current girlfriend Olivia (Greer).
Then her granddaughter Sage (Garner) arrives uninvited, because she is pregnant and needs money for an abortion due in the afternoon, and she is too afraid to tell her mother Judy (Harden) about it, so Elle becomes her only hope. Weitz goes out a limb here to configure Elle, a passé poet who has her own house and leads an independent life, as a woman who doesn't have any money, even several hundreds bucks at hand, or in her account to provide succour for the emergency, only to set in motion the grandma-granddaughter money-questing road trip.
Various sorts Elle and Sage visit, firstly Elle teaches a hard lesson to Sage's scumbag boyfriend Cam, who gets her pregnant and shuns the responsibility to snag the money. Driving an archaic 1955 Dodge Royal, Elle brings Sage to her trans-friend, a tattooist Deathy (Cox), who owes her money but is broke too; try to sell her first-edition books to Carla (the late Elizabeth Peña, R.I.P.), who owns the café where Olivia works; ask help from her ex-husband Karl (Elliott), whom she jilted and haven't met for over four decades, and clearly he still holds the grudge to her in spite of being all flirty, especially when he knows what the money is for, Sam Elliott is incredibly poignant in his limited screen time when shifting from an old flame's chat-up to a sudden and overpowering outburst of wrath. Finally, Judy is their last resort, three women of three generations (all independent of man in their lives, Sage's father is an anonymous sperm donor), united by this incident, and divulge their true feelings, maybe their problems cannot be solved, at least, it is a substantial step to start.
Like Sage, we all watch Elle's back-stories unfold through this not so long journey, and begin to know this old lady bit by bit, her feminist stance, misanthropic characteristic (quote Sage), atheist belief, a troubled marriage before going full lesbian, having a baby from a one-night-stand, enjoying a happy life with her partner Vi until the latter's departure, attracting to Olivia but deterred by their huge age difference. It is a role Tomlin has been waiting for all these decades, a sharp-tongued, avant-garde spitfire, but at the same time, a sensitive soul overflowing with passion, fear and sense of justice, it is a tremendously heart-warming performance, she is the grandma we all wish to have. Judy Greer and Marcia Gay Harden are great as we expect, but I also want to name-check Julia Garner for her indelible presence as Sage, a keen observer, a disgruntled teenager, and a force of uncompromising grit, so something does run through the family lineage.
Running only at 79 minutes, the movie leaves us unsatisfied although the narrative finishes with a beautiful arch of consummation, it is an indie gem one shouldn't miss among zillions of options.
The 10th feature film of Paul Weitz, the USA director who has brought us American PIE (1999), is a Lily Tomlin tailor-made drama-comedy, which shot only in 19 days in a puny budget. It stars Tomlin as the titular grandma Elle, a lesbian who has lost her long-time companion about one and a half year ago, the movie depicts her life in one particular day, divided over 6 chapters, starts with an intense break-up with her much younger current girlfriend Olivia (Greer).
Then her granddaughter Sage (Garner) arrives uninvited, because she is pregnant and needs money for an abortion due in the afternoon, and she is too afraid to tell her mother Judy (Harden) about it, so Elle becomes her only hope. Weitz goes out a limb here to configure Elle, a passé poet who has her own house and leads an independent life, as a woman who doesn't have any money, even several hundreds bucks at hand, or in her account to provide succour for the emergency, only to set in motion the grandma-granddaughter money-questing road trip.
Various sorts Elle and Sage visit, firstly Elle teaches a hard lesson to Sage's scumbag boyfriend Cam, who gets her pregnant and shuns the responsibility to snag the money. Driving an archaic 1955 Dodge Royal, Elle brings Sage to her trans-friend, a tattooist Deathy (Cox), who owes her money but is broke too; try to sell her first-edition books to Carla (the late Elizabeth Peña, R.I.P.), who owns the café where Olivia works; ask help from her ex-husband Karl (Elliott), whom she jilted and haven't met for over four decades, and clearly he still holds the grudge to her in spite of being all flirty, especially when he knows what the money is for, Sam Elliott is incredibly poignant in his limited screen time when shifting from an old flame's chat-up to a sudden and overpowering outburst of wrath. Finally, Judy is their last resort, three women of three generations (all independent of man in their lives, Sage's father is an anonymous sperm donor), united by this incident, and divulge their true feelings, maybe their problems cannot be solved, at least, it is a substantial step to start.
Like Sage, we all watch Elle's back-stories unfold through this not so long journey, and begin to know this old lady bit by bit, her feminist stance, misanthropic characteristic (quote Sage), atheist belief, a troubled marriage before going full lesbian, having a baby from a one-night-stand, enjoying a happy life with her partner Vi until the latter's departure, attracting to Olivia but deterred by their huge age difference. It is a role Tomlin has been waiting for all these decades, a sharp-tongued, avant-garde spitfire, but at the same time, a sensitive soul overflowing with passion, fear and sense of justice, it is a tremendously heart-warming performance, she is the grandma we all wish to have. Judy Greer and Marcia Gay Harden are great as we expect, but I also want to name-check Julia Garner for her indelible presence as Sage, a keen observer, a disgruntled teenager, and a force of uncompromising grit, so something does run through the family lineage.
Running only at 79 minutes, the movie leaves us unsatisfied although the narrative finishes with a beautiful arch of consummation, it is an indie gem one shouldn't miss among zillions of options.
Extremely impressive
erolsabadosh27 January 2016
Absolutely one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in a while with a brilliant performance from Lily Tomlin. The plot follows a girl who goes to her loud-mouthed liberal grandma for help paying for an abortion and their quest to come up with the money when they don't have enough. The film takes place over the course of one day as they drive to meet various people whom they think can help, including grandma's scorned ex-husband and her crazy work-obsessed daughter. There is a lot of comedy throughout but there's also a strong helping of drama too, and the film manages to be quirky and fun but also deeply moving at the same time. If you like intelligent adult comedies with a realistic tone then I definitely recommend you watch this as soon as you can, you won't be disappointed!
A hidden gem
valleyjohn8 February 2016
This is one of those films that had a very limited release in the UK last year and could be classed a hidden gem. Lily Tomlin play a grandmother who tries to help her granddaughter raise the money for an abortion after she gets unexpectedly pregnant. They visit various people asking for the cash, all of which she has a very different relationship with. Lily Tomlin is brilliant in this , you first you get the impression that Granma might not be a very nice person at all. She's blunt , she doesn't mince her words and she has fallen out with loved ones but as the film goes on you begin to realise that she actually has a heart of gold. At only 80 minutes long it's refreshingly short to so Grandma at no stage outshines it's welcome.
Absolute Tripe
danddmarcum26 September 2021
If you want a movie about the social liberalism of society, man bashing, taking aim at was once considered good, then this is your movie. Painfully messaging counter culture and immorality. Hey I'm not perfectly moral, but here, everything that is good for many, is now bad, and everything that's bad is put on a pedestal. I am not anti anything, in any real sense, but when you cram every broken, what some call sinful denarii, and make it somehow to be embraced, at the risk of feeling misogynistic if I don't embrace the message. I don't like this kind of manipulation.
The Grandma in my Dreams
lisacarlson5013 February 2016
Screenwriter Paul Weitz best known for his television show About a Boy has written a realistic, feisty portrayal of an aging woman who's called to help her granddaughter. His focus is in giving the extraordinary Lily Tomlin some of the best lines she's uttered on screen as the Grandma. This is not your Hallmark version of what many of us grew up with. If I had a Grandma like Tomlin life would have been different and probably closer to heaven. I would have learned to find my backbone sooner than later. There's real beauty in a strong, smart woman. M. Gay Harden, J. Warner, J.Greer and S. Elliot all provide excellent support as people who are equally expressive in their humanity.
Fun if uninspired.
Rendanlovell18 February 2016
Grandma' is a film about a grandma and her granddaughter. Sage (Julia Garner) visits her grandma (lily Tomlin) seemingly on a whim. Turns out Sage has gotten herself pregnant and has decided to abort the child. Tight on money she opts to go past her mother and ask her Grandmother for a $600 loan. Of course she is out of money as well so, the two travel the town pulling in favors and claiming debts. With a plot line such as this, the filmmakers are almost forced to make this a character study. The focus of the study is on Tomlins character. The problem is, this character doesn't work. At all. It's unfortunate how little character is actually present here.
Considering that Tomlin being on the receiving end of so much award show buzz for her performance. If there is one thing that I could point to and say that, that was the overall issue it would its run time. The film runs at less than an hour and twenty minutes long. For a reference, 'Taken 2' runs longer than this movie does.
Having such a short run time like this for a character study is extremely problematic. It feels TOO streamlined. Which is strange to say considering so many movies out there are so messy that its near impossible to decipher them. But this one doesn't allow you to actually get invested in these characters.
Sage and her grandma are such incredibly flat characters that this ultra short run time actually feels like a stretch. They go some place and Tomlin yells at some people while Garner sits quietly in the background. There just isn't enough substance here to make a meaningful film out of. This is made even worse by the fact that, it has every opportunity to make a powerful film.
As these two venture around the town seeing old friends and love ones the past is brought up quite a bit. It's in these scenes that the film should've fleshed out the main characters. We learn about this womans back story as Sage does, slow and steady, but we just don't learn enough. We see that these two aren't that much different but the film struggles to show how this is impacting this young girl. The film tells us her back story but it does it as if it where explaining to a child. No emotion or power behind it at all.
By the end I desperately wanted to connect with these to women but I just couldn't. They go on a "life altering" journey together but we don't learn about why it was life altering. We don't know why this old lady acts the way she does, she just does. For no apparent reason. It would've been so easy to write this in such a way that we learn about some of the tings she did and why. But, more times then not, we don't get the why. Just the how, which if you ask me, is far less interesting.
However, there are many things to like here. Not being able to connect the characters may make things difficult but the sassy writing Tomlin is given is hilarious. She is rude, foul mouthed, and stuck up. And I loved it. Her performance may have been a bit wonky at times but her dialogue was spot on. Not to mention an all around good looking movie.
'Grandma' may not be the expertly crafted, Oscar worthy movie that it is being held up as. But Tomlin in the lead role coupled with solid writing can make for a genuinely funny film. It's to bad that almost everything else the film does trips itself up. Some shoddy character molding, a weak story, and an incredibly short run time really stiffen this overall playful film up.
Considering that Tomlin being on the receiving end of so much award show buzz for her performance. If there is one thing that I could point to and say that, that was the overall issue it would its run time. The film runs at less than an hour and twenty minutes long. For a reference, 'Taken 2' runs longer than this movie does.
Having such a short run time like this for a character study is extremely problematic. It feels TOO streamlined. Which is strange to say considering so many movies out there are so messy that its near impossible to decipher them. But this one doesn't allow you to actually get invested in these characters.
Sage and her grandma are such incredibly flat characters that this ultra short run time actually feels like a stretch. They go some place and Tomlin yells at some people while Garner sits quietly in the background. There just isn't enough substance here to make a meaningful film out of. This is made even worse by the fact that, it has every opportunity to make a powerful film.
As these two venture around the town seeing old friends and love ones the past is brought up quite a bit. It's in these scenes that the film should've fleshed out the main characters. We learn about this womans back story as Sage does, slow and steady, but we just don't learn enough. We see that these two aren't that much different but the film struggles to show how this is impacting this young girl. The film tells us her back story but it does it as if it where explaining to a child. No emotion or power behind it at all.
By the end I desperately wanted to connect with these to women but I just couldn't. They go on a "life altering" journey together but we don't learn about why it was life altering. We don't know why this old lady acts the way she does, she just does. For no apparent reason. It would've been so easy to write this in such a way that we learn about some of the tings she did and why. But, more times then not, we don't get the why. Just the how, which if you ask me, is far less interesting.
However, there are many things to like here. Not being able to connect the characters may make things difficult but the sassy writing Tomlin is given is hilarious. She is rude, foul mouthed, and stuck up. And I loved it. Her performance may have been a bit wonky at times but her dialogue was spot on. Not to mention an all around good looking movie.
'Grandma' may not be the expertly crafted, Oscar worthy movie that it is being held up as. But Tomlin in the lead role coupled with solid writing can make for a genuinely funny film. It's to bad that almost everything else the film does trips itself up. Some shoddy character molding, a weak story, and an incredibly short run time really stiffen this overall playful film up.
Having an Actor Yell a Line Doesn't Make it Funnier
vsks28 September 2015
Wait for cable. This Paul Weitz film has had some mixed, but mostly positive reviews, and we gave it a chance based on the cast line-up: Lily Tomlin, Marcia Gay Harden, Sam Elliott. As it turns out, the best, most persuasive performance comes from pale-as-paper Julia Garner, who plays Tomlin's 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage. Her role mostly requires looking on in dismay as the "grown-ups" whom she hopes will help her rant viciously at each other and dredge up decades-old animosities. By staying out of it, she is revealed as Sage the wise, not Sage the turkey-and-dressing ingredient. People vary sharply in what they find funny. Alas, I don't find a firehose delivery of insults and putdowns more than boring. Tomlin's character, poet Elle Reid, is unnaturally prickly and, faced with the pregnancy of her high school student granddaughter, she's not even sympathetic—or discreet. "She's already pregnant," she announces to a young man who glances Sage's way. The movie's plot revolves around Elle and Sage's attempts to scare up $600 for an abortion, scheduled for 5:30 pm the day the movie takes place. This is not a gleeful situation, either. I'm a fan of Tomlin's acting, but laudatory reviews to the contrary, she doesn't seem really engaged with this highly predictable material. The ill-conceived (you should pardon the expression) and flimsy device of the appointment deadline puts manic urgency into the pair's approaches to a succession of unlikely loan prospects. Tomlin's interaction with the loser boyfriend is unbelievable in every particular, and nothing written for Tomlin's character suggests she has a poetic bone in her body or the necessary mental discipline and insight for that craft.
My wife said, 'I thought it was going to be better than that' when it was over.
TxMike27 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is a small movie, not quite even 75 minutes long. All the characters are angry and upset the whole time. It really isn't entertaining, as far as we are concerned. Had we known more of what it was about we would not have watched it.
Lily Tomlin is Elle, a 70-something lesbian whose partner had died fairly recently. When she was young, before she acknowledged her lesbianism she got pregnant, married a guy, and had a daughter. The daughter in turn had a daughter, Elle's granddaughter.
That girl, 20-ish Julia Garner as Sage, is the granddaughter, a mixed up high school student. She has come to Elle this day because she needs $630 for an abortion. It is morning and she has an appointment for 5:45PM.
So most of the movie is Elle and Sage interacting with various people, the boyfriend, the mother, and old friend, all to try to raise the money because Sage is broke and Elle decided to pay off all her debts and cut up her credit cards and she too is broke.
The story isn't particular interesting, and the script isn't particularly well written. Basically it is a bit more than an hour of Lily Tomlin's antics and for someone who likes that then it is worthwhile. My wife and I didn't find it particularly worthwhile.
When it was over we were like "So what? These are miserable people."
Lily Tomlin is Elle, a 70-something lesbian whose partner had died fairly recently. When she was young, before she acknowledged her lesbianism she got pregnant, married a guy, and had a daughter. The daughter in turn had a daughter, Elle's granddaughter.
That girl, 20-ish Julia Garner as Sage, is the granddaughter, a mixed up high school student. She has come to Elle this day because she needs $630 for an abortion. It is morning and she has an appointment for 5:45PM.
So most of the movie is Elle and Sage interacting with various people, the boyfriend, the mother, and old friend, all to try to raise the money because Sage is broke and Elle decided to pay off all her debts and cut up her credit cards and she too is broke.
The story isn't particular interesting, and the script isn't particularly well written. Basically it is a bit more than an hour of Lily Tomlin's antics and for someone who likes that then it is worthwhile. My wife and I didn't find it particularly worthwhile.
When it was over we were like "So what? These are miserable people."
Where are all the likable characters?
paul-allaer26 September 2015
"Grandma" (2015 release; 82 min.) brings the story of Elle (played by Lily Tomlin). As the movie opens, we get Chapter 1 "Endings", in which we see Elle breaking up with her (much younger) girlfriend Olivia. "You're nothing but a footnote" sneers Elle. But after Olivia leaves, crushed by Elle's comment, we see Elle crying in the shower. Then Elle's granddaughter Sage stops by unannounced. It's not long before we learn that Sage wants to terminated an unwanted pregnancy and she needs $630, and can Grandma help? Can she ever! At this point we are not even 10 minutes into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: first, this movie is a labor of love from Paul Weitz, best known for co-directing American Pie and About a Boy. Here, he writes, produces and directs a small movie (with an even smaller budget) about a grieving lesbian who gets an opportunity to help her granddaughter. As probably many of you, I had heard the buzz about Lily Tomlin's first lead performance in decades, and indeed this lives up to the billing as Tomlin brings an unforgettable performance. That said, what I wasn't expecting was the at times mean and bitter undercurrents in this film. When Sage tells Grandma "you have an anger problem", Elle replies "no, I have an a$$hole problem", wow, seriously? In fact, besides the charming Sage (played by up-and-coming Julia Garner), there aren't many likable characters in this film, and neither will you walk away from watching "Grandma" with a feel-good moment, even as we learn more about Elle's past life and relationship in various conversations. Check out the pivotal scene played between Lily Tomlin and Sam Elliot (no worries, I won't spoil). Second, the movie is divided in 6 chapters, similar to book chapters. Third, there is a very nice musical score for the movie, courtesy of Joel P. West, and also a bunch of great song placements.
Bottom line: while I enjoyed the movie, I was slightly taken back by the harsh, if not mean, exchanges among many of the characters. The movie recently opened here in Cincinnati, and the evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay (for a week night). I encourage you to check out "Grandma", be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusions.
Couple of comments: first, this movie is a labor of love from Paul Weitz, best known for co-directing American Pie and About a Boy. Here, he writes, produces and directs a small movie (with an even smaller budget) about a grieving lesbian who gets an opportunity to help her granddaughter. As probably many of you, I had heard the buzz about Lily Tomlin's first lead performance in decades, and indeed this lives up to the billing as Tomlin brings an unforgettable performance. That said, what I wasn't expecting was the at times mean and bitter undercurrents in this film. When Sage tells Grandma "you have an anger problem", Elle replies "no, I have an a$$hole problem", wow, seriously? In fact, besides the charming Sage (played by up-and-coming Julia Garner), there aren't many likable characters in this film, and neither will you walk away from watching "Grandma" with a feel-good moment, even as we learn more about Elle's past life and relationship in various conversations. Check out the pivotal scene played between Lily Tomlin and Sam Elliot (no worries, I won't spoil). Second, the movie is divided in 6 chapters, similar to book chapters. Third, there is a very nice musical score for the movie, courtesy of Joel P. West, and also a bunch of great song placements.
Bottom line: while I enjoyed the movie, I was slightly taken back by the harsh, if not mean, exchanges among many of the characters. The movie recently opened here in Cincinnati, and the evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay (for a week night). I encourage you to check out "Grandma", be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusions.
OK: But just a few more points
michaeljayallen25 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Enjoyable and interesting enough (for free on TV). Another user review mentioned a number of small bits that took them out of it - not funny enough, and not realistic enough for a movie that is to be taken essentially as realistic, not a SNL skit - like the hockey stick incident and the face punch one. I agree. The whole film was a bit shoddy that way and a bit random.
The ex-boyfriend was later described as a creep etc. by Sage's mother. His worthlessness was way overdone in about 100 ways to the point where it detracted from Sage's character to have had him as a sort-of boyfriend (the kind you have sex with when you are maybe a junior in high school, and lots of times. Any non-idiot teen age girl would have known better. He didn't seem to have a single redeeming characteristic, like being really cute or funny or charming or intelligent. He was the opposite.
A lot of the plot contrivances were a little forced in order to keep them going to the end to get the money. And why this particular clinic for $600? Grandma takes Sage to what turns out to be a free clinic that isn't there any more. Did no one think of calling that big famous nationwide organization with 15 clinics in Los Angeles?
And one more gripe - one I also had about Hidden Figures. If a plot point is car problems, how about talking to a mechanic so they actually make sense? Why did the car have a low battery to start with, and then after what is later diagnosed as a bad crankshaft did it suddenly make the low battery starter sound and not restart after driving far enough on the freeway to keep it charged, and why was the engine also smoking? If it was actually low enough on oil to cause that problem as the mechanic later referred to it would have been making a whole lot more racket first. And she agrees to have him put in a new crankshaft. That would mean really rebuilding the whole engine or finding a new one, which would cost a couple thousand dollars and she doesn't have any money. And he mentioned something about keeping oil in it and it seems like she didn't. Why make her so careless with Violet's baby?
By the way, I'm no mechanic but just have a basic knowledge of how cars work and what old ones are like. All this is similar to other shoddiness in this film, although maybe more expected in a little knocked out indie than in Hidden Figures.
Grandma's car was the now deceased Violet's and you could see why Grandma might want to hold onto it - although no mention of where her car went. It's LA. She must have had one. Typically for this film there was no explanation of why she would have had a 1955 Dodge in 2013. This could have been an interesting thing about her and fill in her pretty much nonexistent character description but was skipped, like a lot of things.
The actual reason the 1956 Dodge was in the film is that it is Lily Tomlin's car. You would think that with her money she might get the cracked side window and bent hood corner fixed on this otherwise nice collector car.
Anyway, it's still OK and has its good points. See it if you like this sort of film.
The ex-boyfriend was later described as a creep etc. by Sage's mother. His worthlessness was way overdone in about 100 ways to the point where it detracted from Sage's character to have had him as a sort-of boyfriend (the kind you have sex with when you are maybe a junior in high school, and lots of times. Any non-idiot teen age girl would have known better. He didn't seem to have a single redeeming characteristic, like being really cute or funny or charming or intelligent. He was the opposite.
A lot of the plot contrivances were a little forced in order to keep them going to the end to get the money. And why this particular clinic for $600? Grandma takes Sage to what turns out to be a free clinic that isn't there any more. Did no one think of calling that big famous nationwide organization with 15 clinics in Los Angeles?
And one more gripe - one I also had about Hidden Figures. If a plot point is car problems, how about talking to a mechanic so they actually make sense? Why did the car have a low battery to start with, and then after what is later diagnosed as a bad crankshaft did it suddenly make the low battery starter sound and not restart after driving far enough on the freeway to keep it charged, and why was the engine also smoking? If it was actually low enough on oil to cause that problem as the mechanic later referred to it would have been making a whole lot more racket first. And she agrees to have him put in a new crankshaft. That would mean really rebuilding the whole engine or finding a new one, which would cost a couple thousand dollars and she doesn't have any money. And he mentioned something about keeping oil in it and it seems like she didn't. Why make her so careless with Violet's baby?
By the way, I'm no mechanic but just have a basic knowledge of how cars work and what old ones are like. All this is similar to other shoddiness in this film, although maybe more expected in a little knocked out indie than in Hidden Figures.
Grandma's car was the now deceased Violet's and you could see why Grandma might want to hold onto it - although no mention of where her car went. It's LA. She must have had one. Typically for this film there was no explanation of why she would have had a 1955 Dodge in 2013. This could have been an interesting thing about her and fill in her pretty much nonexistent character description but was skipped, like a lot of things.
The actual reason the 1956 Dodge was in the film is that it is Lily Tomlin's car. You would think that with her money she might get the cracked side window and bent hood corner fixed on this otherwise nice collector car.
Anyway, it's still OK and has its good points. See it if you like this sort of film.
Wonderful, timely film!
robert-spottswood24 October 2015
Wow, what a breath of fresh air in the cesspool of recent films (okay, a few other exceptions.) As feminists, we roared. As parents, we nodded in recognition. As grandparents, we cheered at the clever handling of generational misunderstandings. As story-lovers, we appreciated a satisfying ending with validating resolutions. Especially liked the mirror rebuke of the 'Juno' film's preschool handling of full-range women's health care. Why does the right-wing hate women so much, and why do we tolerate that?
Paul Weitz, please write and direct some more films for these actors. We approve of this film!
Paul Weitz, please write and direct some more films for these actors. We approve of this film!
A flawed gem...
moonspinner551 September 2016
Lily Tomlin as an elderly, semi-retired poet and lesbian at the end of her rope: her latest girlfriend has left her, she's flat broke, she's not speaking to her grown daughter, and her teenage granddaughter has just turned up on her doorstep needing $630 for an abortion. Small-scaled road-movie with chapter-stops for the various people in Tomlin's life (they alternately want to help her or shut the door on her. Tragicomedy in the modern age, plain-spoken (with reams of foul language) and bursts of violent temperament (some of it verging, unsuccessfully, on parody). Writer-director Paul Weitz allows his star lots of room to emote, to sound off, to be belligerent and stubborn, and even occasionally be funny. The tone of the movie is hard to pin down, with situations that waver between the realistic and the absurd (sometimes in the same scene). While the film is exhausting, it is also rewarding, with a nicely screwy grandma-granddaughter bond between Tomlin and young Julia Garner. A visit to the house of former-flame Sam Elliott doesn't quite wash (and his scary demeanor introduces an ugly undercurrent to the movie); also, the events during the final jaunt are too broad, simply padding the running-time. The closing moments, however, are terrific, ending the story on a wistful, hopeful/not hopeful note that is entirely appropriate for the central character. **1/2 from ****
An offbeat film of hope, desire and need for help all while finding a new road to life!
blanbrn24 September 2015
"Grandma" is one of those short little nice independent films that touches the heart showing that life is full of change, hope and finding a new path for each. The grand old Lily Tomlin is Elle a past her prime college professor who's down in the dumps she's broke money wise and she's just broken up with her gay lady love Olivia(Judy Greer). To complicate matters one day her granddaughter Sage shows up one day needing 600 dollars and guess what it's for an abortion as Sage was knocked up by her boyfriend who hit the road! Then it's a funny and feel good road journey to obtain the 600 for an abortion and along the way it's a bonding of love and friendship as Sage's mother and Elle's daughter Judy(Marcia Gay Harden)an uptight and business like society snob provides the money for the procedure. Still thru it all each discover a journey of hope and a new beginning and Lily Tomlin's performance is shining even with her grand old age.
Funny, great acting, shaky camera
aoc77724 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Grandma is a witty and funny comedy starring Lily Tomlin and Julia Garner. The performances of even the supporting cast are excellent - everyone is giving their best and the characters are both believable and relatable - even if you don't always agree with their decisions. The characters are well meaning but not always able to express themselves, which is at the source of much of the comedy. Some of the facial expressions are comedy gold.
Despite presenting us a comedy Paul Weitz manages to make a movie that is not shallow at all and touches on many serious topics, like loss and how to deal with it. There are several themes in the movie that might offend some watchers and hence cause the low rating it has received so far:
Warning, spoiler: If you are offended by topics like abortion, death or same sex relationships, don't watch this. End spoiler.
The one thing that was a detractor for me was the shaky camera. Everything in this movie was set up with great care - such a sad thing that there was no money left to buy a support for the camera. The shaking distracts from the otherwise excellent production and acting.
Overall, there were plenty of laughs in a movie that also made me think
Despite presenting us a comedy Paul Weitz manages to make a movie that is not shallow at all and touches on many serious topics, like loss and how to deal with it. There are several themes in the movie that might offend some watchers and hence cause the low rating it has received so far:
Warning, spoiler: If you are offended by topics like abortion, death or same sex relationships, don't watch this. End spoiler.
The one thing that was a detractor for me was the shaky camera. Everything in this movie was set up with great care - such a sad thing that there was no money left to buy a support for the camera. The shaking distracts from the otherwise excellent production and acting.
Overall, there were plenty of laughs in a movie that also made me think
Ugly and disturbing
bethdarcy15 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've never walked out of a movie and I regret that I did not walk out of this movie. There was nothing good about this movie. The characters were pitiful and unlikeable, the acting was forced and contrived and the story line was bizarre. No wonder they don't tell you what the plot is. My hunch is many people would not chose to go see it if they knew the actual plot. A grandmother and her granddaughter spend the day driving around trying to borrow money to pay for the granddaughter's abortion. It's a serious subject that could have been handled with more maturity and insight than the writers were capable of. Don't waste your money or your time.
A first class film with a real message
cekadah31 January 2016
Lily Tomlin, that's the first best thing about this movie! (Yes, I'm a fan of Tomlin) The plot is simple, Elle Reid (Tomlin) an elderly lesbian uninspired writer, who in her youth was very active in the 1960's women's liberation movement, must face life alone due to the death of her companion of 38 years. Into her life walks Sage, her granddaughter, who is young, blonde, pregnant, has a worthless boyfriend and is seeking money for an abortion. This situation puts these two on the road seeking the cash because Elle does not have it.
In this quest for cash Director/writer: Paul Weitz brings to light the current social decay of how society now thinks of women and their rights to their own body. Elle, once an active participant in fighting for womens equality discovers first hand how the American social attitude is regressing in its regard for issues that affect women. But as a dedicated feminist Elle fights on because she's smart and has experienced a woman's life!
I noticed other reviewer's complained about Elle's coarse attitude. But that is Elle! She's a fighter for what's right and doesn't let others walk over her because she's just a woman. To unerringly walk over women is the current Christian socio-political attitude that frustrates Elle so much. And then her granddaughter represents everything Elle hated in how society views women but it's Elle's granddaughter and she's ready to fight for her!
Tomlin offers a luminous role to all!
In this quest for cash Director/writer: Paul Weitz brings to light the current social decay of how society now thinks of women and their rights to their own body. Elle, once an active participant in fighting for womens equality discovers first hand how the American social attitude is regressing in its regard for issues that affect women. But as a dedicated feminist Elle fights on because she's smart and has experienced a woman's life!
I noticed other reviewer's complained about Elle's coarse attitude. But that is Elle! She's a fighter for what's right and doesn't let others walk over her because she's just a woman. To unerringly walk over women is the current Christian socio-political attitude that frustrates Elle so much. And then her granddaughter represents everything Elle hated in how society views women but it's Elle's granddaughter and she's ready to fight for her!
Tomlin offers a luminous role to all!
A film of performances and tenderness amidst an unfortunate lack of realism
StevePulaski21 September 2015
Paul Weitz's "Grandma" is one of 2015's many low-key, slice-of-life dramas, appealing to the same mumblecore sensibilities of directors like Joe Swanberg and the Duplass brothers. It's a quiet film, and at seventy-five minutes, it's more like a thought than a feature-length film; with that, here's a film that's equal parts tender to its subject matter and entirely reliant on its performances.
The film focuses on Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin), an aging lesbian poet grieving over the loss of her long-term partner when she's abruptly approached by her eighteen-year-old granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner), who needs $600 for an abortion. The two wind up searching around town, as Elle meets the father of the child, a surly stoner (Nat Wolff), in addition to asking old flames and friends for the money, all while avoiding who should be the key voice in this circumstance - Judy (Marcia Gay Harden), Sage's workaholic mother.
Sure, Lily Tomlin resurfaces in "Grandma" and gives her best performance in years, being a fully commanding screen presence in nearly every scene she's in (which is nearly every scene in the film), but I feel Julia Garner gives a real showstopping performance here as well. Garner is very nuanced here, echoing a lot of the sentiments and mannerisms a stressed adolescent girl in this situation would. Her performance is on par with Lorelei Linklater's in "Boyhood," as it's understated and quite a heavy role that is easy to overlook with the plethora of bigger actors and performances all but engulfing her. Then there's Harden, who is always best when she raises her voice and asserts her character's ego before everyone else in the film, making for that signature presence in a film that is memorable, even if only in a few scenes.
"Grandma," as stated, is a film of performances, and that's fine, but the subject matter here is ripe for some very strong exploration and, unfortunately, doesn't deliver adequately as it can. The first issue I take is with the grandma character herself, who just so happens to be an incorruptible progressive lesbian, who reacts to her daughter's pregnancy as just another bump in the road of her life. As common as this is becoming for the current generation, and maybe even their parents' generation, to find an elderly woman supporting and embracing those notions is incredibly rare and feels less realistic. With this, the opportunity of detailing the generation gap is woefully missed here, which could've made the trip between these characters more strained and reluctant, so at the end of the film, a deeper connection could've been more solidified than the sometimes aggravating casualness that burdens the film.
Finally, there's Weitz's constant attempt to soften the polarizing subject matter by writing a lot of unsubtle comedic sequences that feel contrived. Consider when Elle takes her granddaughter's boyfriend's hockey stick to him in order to bleed him of all the cash he has on him, or the scene in front of the women's health clinic, which do nothing but add lackluster elements of physicality onto what is a character driven film. While these elements are by no means the coffin sealing nails, they do not help what is still uniformly a low-key film in many respects.
"Grandma" features solid performances across the board, and given that Weitz directed this film and used all female characters (only two characters are male and they are in and out of the film as quickly as they entered), the humanity and gender respect that carries through the story is something of which to take note. It's too bad, however, that a few sour and unrealistic attributes wind up distracting from what could've been a quietly brilliant and contemplative piece of realistic cinema.
The film focuses on Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin), an aging lesbian poet grieving over the loss of her long-term partner when she's abruptly approached by her eighteen-year-old granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner), who needs $600 for an abortion. The two wind up searching around town, as Elle meets the father of the child, a surly stoner (Nat Wolff), in addition to asking old flames and friends for the money, all while avoiding who should be the key voice in this circumstance - Judy (Marcia Gay Harden), Sage's workaholic mother.
Sure, Lily Tomlin resurfaces in "Grandma" and gives her best performance in years, being a fully commanding screen presence in nearly every scene she's in (which is nearly every scene in the film), but I feel Julia Garner gives a real showstopping performance here as well. Garner is very nuanced here, echoing a lot of the sentiments and mannerisms a stressed adolescent girl in this situation would. Her performance is on par with Lorelei Linklater's in "Boyhood," as it's understated and quite a heavy role that is easy to overlook with the plethora of bigger actors and performances all but engulfing her. Then there's Harden, who is always best when she raises her voice and asserts her character's ego before everyone else in the film, making for that signature presence in a film that is memorable, even if only in a few scenes.
"Grandma," as stated, is a film of performances, and that's fine, but the subject matter here is ripe for some very strong exploration and, unfortunately, doesn't deliver adequately as it can. The first issue I take is with the grandma character herself, who just so happens to be an incorruptible progressive lesbian, who reacts to her daughter's pregnancy as just another bump in the road of her life. As common as this is becoming for the current generation, and maybe even their parents' generation, to find an elderly woman supporting and embracing those notions is incredibly rare and feels less realistic. With this, the opportunity of detailing the generation gap is woefully missed here, which could've made the trip between these characters more strained and reluctant, so at the end of the film, a deeper connection could've been more solidified than the sometimes aggravating casualness that burdens the film.
Finally, there's Weitz's constant attempt to soften the polarizing subject matter by writing a lot of unsubtle comedic sequences that feel contrived. Consider when Elle takes her granddaughter's boyfriend's hockey stick to him in order to bleed him of all the cash he has on him, or the scene in front of the women's health clinic, which do nothing but add lackluster elements of physicality onto what is a character driven film. While these elements are by no means the coffin sealing nails, they do not help what is still uniformly a low-key film in many respects.
"Grandma" features solid performances across the board, and given that Weitz directed this film and used all female characters (only two characters are male and they are in and out of the film as quickly as they entered), the humanity and gender respect that carries through the story is something of which to take note. It's too bad, however, that a few sour and unrealistic attributes wind up distracting from what could've been a quietly brilliant and contemplative piece of realistic cinema.
An unappealing bunch of caricatures
grahamclarke30 January 2016
The feisty tough as nails grandmother is hardly new to the cinema, but at this point in time she can now be uninhibitedly foul-mouthed and lesbian.
At some point we are supposed to make the transition of warming to Grandma whose crusty exterior shields and warm loving centre deep down. For me this did not happen. At the start I found Lily Tomlin's character obnoxious and infantile, (and somewhat of a stretch as an academic and a supposed intellectual) – and by the end of the movie I found her even more obnoxious and infantile.
"Grandma" is peopled with an unappealing bunch of caricatures devoid of nuance or subtlety. This is screen writing by numbers. Pushing all the right buttons, and judging from the positive reviews, succeeding in eliciting the required response. I have always found this approach manipulative and insulting.
Lily Tomlin's performance poses no challenge to her at all. It's an extended sketch. Doing cranky is not that hard. It's a pity, because an intelligently written screenplay and an astute director could have given Tomlin a real chance to extend herself.
At some point we are supposed to make the transition of warming to Grandma whose crusty exterior shields and warm loving centre deep down. For me this did not happen. At the start I found Lily Tomlin's character obnoxious and infantile, (and somewhat of a stretch as an academic and a supposed intellectual) – and by the end of the movie I found her even more obnoxious and infantile.
"Grandma" is peopled with an unappealing bunch of caricatures devoid of nuance or subtlety. This is screen writing by numbers. Pushing all the right buttons, and judging from the positive reviews, succeeding in eliciting the required response. I have always found this approach manipulative and insulting.
Lily Tomlin's performance poses no challenge to her at all. It's an extended sketch. Doing cranky is not that hard. It's a pity, because an intelligently written screenplay and an astute director could have given Tomlin a real chance to extend herself.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
