"You're interesting enough. You don't have to lie about who you are."
Nonagenarian June Squibb delivers one of the year's best performances - and Scarlett Johansson makes her feature directorial debut - in this New York-set comedy-drama about a misunderstanding that becomes a lie and gets very, very out of hand.
Following the death of beloved roommate Bessie (Rita Zohar), Eleanor (Squibb) moves back from Florida to her native New York City to be closer to her family. "I'm 94, and I'm moving to Manhattan for the first time today," she tells a cab driver. She also offers him her condolences after he says that he lives in Staten Island. Eleanor is that no-filter kind of lady.
Cajoled by daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) into attending a singing class at the nearby Jewish Cultural Center, Eleanor wanders into the wrong room - and so begins a chain of events that you know can only end in tears.
June Squibb was 94 when she made Eleanor the Great - she's 96 now and back on Broadway - and you can't overstate how life-affirming it is to watch her going through the gears here like someone half her age. She has described Eleanor as "such a full woman" who has "every emotion possible that you would want in a human being". Sure enough, humour, grief, loneliness, and more are all part of a story that serves as an impressive calling card for Johansson's new career. Her unfussy direction and knack for pacing a scene just right bode well for the CV in the future.
Eleanor the Great feels like the kind of American indie film that was a listings fixture in the early 90s, and you could feel all the better after watching it. Its message is more important than ever at this time of year, so if you want a break from the madness but to still be in the best of company, this is where to go. And would you just look at that running time - 98 minutes!
