I remember hearing about Grandma last year and that Lily Tomlin’s performance was fantastic. My wife picked this movie on demand and I was excited to see it. It’s a small story that is full of performance from Tomlin. I give Grandma the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
Grandma is an interesting character study
Elle’s (Lily Tomlin) granddaughter, Sage (Julia Garner), comes to her looking for money to help deal with an unplanned pregnancy. Sage’s mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and Elle have a strained relationship and haven’t spoken in a while, but Elle makes it her mission to help young Sage meet her appointment.
Elle is clearly a troubled person in a lot of ways. We meet her in the midst of a break-up with her girlfriend Olivia (Judy Greer). The film is very intimate and we watch Elle trying to deal with a lot of her choices from the past. The biggest issue is when Sage arrives looking for money. It turns out Elle doesn’t have any and had recently cut up all of her credit cards. They set out on a quest to get the money from a variety of sources who have various connections.
I haven’t seen much of Paul Weitz’s work, but I enjoyed Grandma quite a bit. It’s a simple story, but I love Elle. Tomlin’s performance is pretty great and the writing gives her plenty of chances to show her comedic style. I really enjoyed the sequence in the coffee shop. She rips into hipster culture and “drips” her coffee all over the floor. Even writing the baristas, a cameo by John Cho, name on the floor, or at least what she now declares to be his name. It’s a funny moment and shows her hostility that will need to change by the end of the film.
It’s a small story and the stakes are relatively low. Elle didn’t have a connection with her daughter, and given her first chance to connect with her granddaughter makes a big effort. It many ways doing this thing for Sage is redeeming her of her other shortcomings. It’s a journey story for sure, but one that is full of heart and comedy. I definitely recommend the film.
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