Eleanor the Great Parent Guide

After the death of her best friend, 94-year-old Eleanor (June Squibb) is bereft. Eleanor and Bessie (Rita Zohar) have been friends for 70 years and roommates for the past decade. Now Eleanor faces a move away from the warmth of Florida and back to New York so her daughter, Lisa (Jessica Hecht), can look after her.

Lisa’s life is hectic, but she’s determined to find a place where her mother can live in comfort and safety. In the meantime, she registers Eleanor for a program at the local Jewish Community Center. After a series of misunderstandings, Eleanor winds up in a support group for Holocaust survivors and the attendees are so welcoming that a flustered Eleanor doesn’t know what else to do – she shares a harrowing story of survival. There are just two problems: first, Eleanor’s story isn’t hers; it belongs to Bessie, and, second, the group has a visitor. Nina (Erin Kellyman) is a young journalism student who’s mesmerized by the emotional tale. She asks Eleanor if she can use the story for a journalism assignment and although Eleanor is wary, she’s also desperately lonely, so she agrees to further meetings with Nina.

You know that sick feeling you have when you watch a disaster movie featuring a train racing down the tracks towards a fallen bridge? That’s exactly how I felt watching Eleanor the Great. No matter how much you love Eleanor (and she’s an extremely sympathetic character), you know that she’s heading for disaster. I spent almost the entire film with a tight knot in my gut, terrified of the revelation of Eleanor’s deceit. If watching Aladdin didn’t teach you that lying about yourself comes with consequences, you’ll get that moral loud and clear from this movie.

For a small character film, Eleanor the Great delivers a lot of serious material. Not only does it depict the personal consequences of dishonesty and how those consequences ripple outwards, it also nods towards the lifelong consequences of trauma, the burden of survivors’ guilt, the weight of grief, and our society’s epidemic of loneliness (particularly amongst seniors). That’s a lot to squeeze into 98 minutes. Not all of those topics are dealt with in depth, but the film is thankfully leavened with plenty of humor and I even laughed out loud throughout the runtime.

Critical to the success of this movie is its talented cast. June Squibb is a favorite of mine, and she delivers a feisty, sassy, lonely, sincere Eleanor, who is totally likeable, even when she veers off in the wrong direction. She’s ably matched by Erin Kellyman who gives a heart wrenching portrayal of grief as Nina struggles with the loss of her mother and her father’s emotional shutdown. Nina desperately needs a listening ear and soft shoulder, and Eleanor provides them as the two embrace their unexpected friendship.

Fortunately, this charming film comes with relatively minor negative content. There’s a little bit of moderate and mild profanity, but the real issue is Holocaust-related violence, which is limited and not shown on screen. People reminisce about harrowing events, which might upset some viewers, but this film is far less distressing than the average Holocaust documentary.

In fact, my only issue with the film is the conclusion, which wraps the story up in a neat and not always convincing bow. Whether or not you’ll agree with me boils down to one question: Do you prefer American or British television? If the former, you’ll be perfectly happy with Eleanor the Great. If the latter, you’ll likely share my opinion that the movie is charming but just a little too tidy for real life.

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.