Review: Grandma

There's nothing better than a fiesty, sharp-tongued grandmother; and that's exactly what you get in Paul Weitz's newest film, GRANDMA, the story of mean-spirited Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin). When Elle's granddaughter, Sage (Julia Garner) shows up on her doorstep, looking for money to get an abortion, Elle promises to help her get it - something that suspiciously seems like a way to distract herself from her recent breakup with her girlfriend of four months, Olivia (Judy Greer).



Grandma and granddaughter go on a bizarre little financial scavenger hunt, tracking down various acquaintances in an effort to borrow money from them. This gimmicky premise eventually morphs into a touching exploration of Elle's past and current life. There are serious issues to be addressed within the film's brief 79 minute runtime -- like broken parenting and LGBT issues, to name a few. But they're all viewed through Elle's slightly unorthodox filter, culminating in a truly refreshing character sketch.

And let's be honest: the film relies on Elle for its substance, the other characters simply being there to support her. Marcia Gay Harden makes a short (but unsurprisingly strong) appearance as Sage's mother, fleshing out Sage's character a bit in their relationship; but the development scale is still heavily weighted toward Elle (which is the intention, so that's fine).

Tomlin, who never gives a dull performance, follows through in this instance, naturally owning her title role. The film does get off to a rocky start, throwing the audience into a scenario without any connection to the characters; but once those characters get their proper introduction, this fault works itself out. This is definitely one you want to catch -- GRANDMA is now playing at the Midtown Cinema!