“Eleanor the Great” follows Eleanor, who befriends a 19-year-old student after moving to New York City and joining a Holocaust survivor group. 

A Modest Debut With a Flawed Heroine

In her directorial debut, Scarlett Johansson brings modest style to a story about loss, connection and love.

For a movie titled “Eleanor the Great,” the titular character isn’t so great. Just because a character is older doesn’t excuse all of their flaws, and the film leans hard on age to soften her edges. 

Performances Outshine a Shaky Script

This isn’t the fault of June Squibb (Eleanor), who completely buys into the character. She brings quirkiness and charm to every scene, with an electric presence from beginning to end. Her performance redeems some of Eleanor’s shortcomings, but only to a point.

“Eleanor the Great” falters because of this disconnect. While the movie reminds audiences of Eleanor’s heart, it’s clouded by an abundance of rude moments, lies and deceit. All of this is wrapped up in a cheerful outline, but it doesn’t diminish the character’s truth – making the film a hard one to buy into.

Erin Kellyman (Nina) is another strong contributor. Playing a more emotional role, she perfectly encapsulates the highs and lows of grief. Her performance grounds the story with a truly good character who plays counterpoint to Eleanor’s faults. Also worth noting is Rita Zohar (Bessie). Even with minimal screentime, Zohar’s presence is felt throughout the entire 98-minute runtime.

The script from Tory Kamen proves to be another stumbling block. The film shifts its focus to different themes throughout the runtime and is never able to fully stick the landing on any of them. Its humor and emotional beats constantly collide, resulting in an uneven experience.

Grief, Connection and a Hollow Ending

The ideas of grief and connection are the most well-explored, showcasing the power of friendship and how it takes time to heal. As the movie begins to mix in differing threads, however, it loses its charm. As all the pieces converge, half-baked subplots about deceit and investigation crop up, shifting the story to a different scale that doesn’t feel earned.

The ending of “Eleanor the Great” furthers the film’s problems. Rather than exploring the characters, the movie shifts to a generic, cliché-riddled conclusion that is rushed at best. There are no consequences or impacts – just uneven answers and unearned decisions. Instead of embracing a realistic resolution, the film ties a neat bow on every plot point while the central character shows no meaningful change. 

This lazy conclusion drags down the film’s overall messaging. The final minutes have an emotional heartbeat that lingers, but the conclusion as a whole loses its touch.

“Eleanor the Great” has moments of emotional clarity and occasional laugh-out-loud humor. It’s ultimately a bumpy experience, however. Grief, connection and love remain prevalent, and Squibb steals the show, but the titular character and the overall journey are anything but great.

Rating: 2 out of 5