Eleanor the Great

By Joanna Langfield

Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut is very human. Intimate and funny, bumpy and well intentioned, it still leaves us entertained, with an undeniable lump in our throats.

One of the masterstrokes is Johansson’s eye for talent. She has brought a wonderful roster of actors and non-professionals to tell what could have been a mawkish Holocaust survivor story. They all inject a healthy dose of contemporary cool and a contagious, tart energy, making us not just enjoy their company, but forgive the few odd jumps along the way.

Eleanor, played by the great June Squibb, has lost the friend she lived with for years, after they were both widowed. Reluctantly, she moves back to New York, unpacking in her daughter’s Manhattan apartment. Said daughter (the always lovely Jessica Hecht) signs Mom up for a class at the JCC and, when Eleanor gets lost, she winds up not just in the wrong room, but also with the wrong group. Or is she?

On the face of it, this is a story about the Holocaust and its one that cannot be told often enough. But there’s a whole lot more to discover. Johansson handles the themes of survivor’s guilt, mourning, interracial marriage, betrayal and individual dignity deftly. As do her terrific players, notably an effervescent Erin Kellyman and an underused Chiwetal Ejiofor. But all of this really works as well as it does thanks to the inimitable Squibb. Yes, it’s impressive enough that the now 95 year old is working as long and as hard as she is. But, even better, is the honest humor, glorious timing and salt of the earth gravity she brings here and to just about every role. Brava.