User reviews

I really like the film, Eleanor The Great. It has a simple but yet incredibly complex storyline, and conveys emotion in a beautiful way. It highlights different perspectives, and shows multiple sides to one story. I am really touched by this movie, and feel that it's important for us as a society to bring more attention to films like this.

Eleanor The Great follows the life of Eleanor (June Squibb), who is trying to navigate her way through life at its later stages. She recently moved back to New York to be with family, after losing one of her closest friends. While trying to find her place in the big city she calls home, she finds herself recalling old stories with nothing but pure intentions, however her small lies eventually catch up to her, and she must learn the power of honesty and accountability.

Scarlett Johansson's directing style is a notable standout in this film. This movie highlights the often quietness and loneliness in people's lives. Each camera angle brings that feeling to the screen. There are so many moments of stillness, where the audience is focused on one thing even, for example, watching Eleanor come back to New York. This is a place that she once called home, and you can really tell how much she's taking it all in. It feels like I'm really seeing New York City through her eyes. Additionally, I enjoy the simplicity of this movie. It isn't a huge blockbuster film, and it doesn't take big expensive sets to make it happen. Everything feels extremely realistic, as if I'm just watching Eleanor's life right beside her. Something else I enjoy is the storyline. This is one of the first movies I've ever watched with an older woman as the main character. Getting to see her perspective on life is so interesting and refreshing. In most films the older characters are often pushed to the side, and seen as someone who has a lot of wisdom. Here, Eleanor is so much more than that. Of course we get her wise advice, but we also get to understand her life. We learn her struggles and dreams, but also what brings her happiness. Hearing her perspective on why she does certain things is fascinating and educational.

The message of Eleanor The Great is that life is valuable, and a reminder to take in everything, even the small things. Please be aware that this film does contain mentions of the Holocaust.

I give Eleanor The Great 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18 plus adults. This film will be released in select theaters starting September 26, 2025.

By Mikella G., KIDS FIRST!

Went to an AMC Movie Unseen for the first time and expected to get a crap movie but what we ended up getting was a charming little movie called Eleanor The Great. A movie about grief done in a charming way that balanced deep grief and humor. This had a great cast but June Squibb was definitely the standout! She had great comedic timing and when she needed to you felt the pain she was feeling. So much so that this had me tearing up towards the end of the film. Is this worth seeing? I would say yes but I don't know how many people will run out to the theaters to see this cause this will definitely fly under the radar for most of the general movie going audience.

By The Numbers breakdown: Cast-6 Acting-8 Trailer-5 Ending-8 Story-8 Visuals-5 Direction-8 Sound-5 Genre-9 Sub Genre-8 The Faces For Radio score - 70.

Greetings again from the darkness. You've likely heard the old saying that you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Well, the same goes for a lie ... and sometimes even an innocent lie takes on a life of its own and begins to wreak havoc. This happens to Eleanor, and yet we somehow empathize with her in this film that is not just the first screenplay from Tory Kamen, it's also the first feature film directed by Scarlett Johnansson.

When we first meet Eleanor (June Squibb, fresh off her lead role in THELMA, 2024) and Bessie (Rita Zohar, AMADEUS, 1984), the two elderly ladies are best friends who have lived together for fifteen years or so in Florida. They spend their days regaling each other with stories over coffee, at the beach doing bench exercises, and at home around the kitchen table. We see how much they appreciate and value each other's friendship. As happens with old friends, Bessie passes away, and 94-year-old Eleanor moves back to New York to live with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht, DAN IN REAL LIFE, 2007) and grandson Max (Will Price, "Goosebumps").

Despite her age, or perhaps emboldened by it, Eleanor's sharp tongue too often hits hard, especially when criticizing Lisa. It's a trip to JCC that erroneously misdirects Eleanor into a support group of Holocaust survivors. Whether she's embarrassed or just lonely for company, Eleanor doesn't come clean and instead begins telling Bessie's stories as if they were her own. One of the group's observers that day is Nina (Erin Kellyman, THE GREEN KNIGHT, 2021), a university journalism student, who is so moved by Eleanor's stories that she pesters her to sit for an interview.

Remember that whole thing about a lie taking on a life of its own? Well, Nina and Eleanor become friends, and Eleanor's wisdom helps Nina deal with a particularly emotional period. Oh, and Nina's dad, Roger Davies (Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, 2013), is a local TV journalist who sees the potential of taking Eleanor's stories to a wider audience. It's truly a mess that Eleanor finds herself in, and if/when the truth comes out, so many could be hurt from her break in trust.

It's June Squibb's remarkable performance that elevates this film to one that many will find emotional. Ms. Squibb turns 96 years old this year and now has a couple of strong lead roles to her credit after a terrific career as a character actor (NEBRASKA, 2013). Here, it's Eleanor's bond with Nina that's the heart of the story, and a reminder that sometimes good people do bad things - and those bad things may be driven by good intentions ... or even grief. Additionally, we must now recognize Scarlett Johnansson as a filmmaker who can handle complex stories and characters, and deliver entertainment for an audience.

Opens in theaters on September 26, 2025.

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

June Squibb provides a wonderful, sweet and touching performance about a elderly woman embracing new connections and friendship, in a otherwise, cliched and predictable story and structure.

Throughout, being Scarlett Johansson's debut directing, Johansson's direction feels average as her direction on the atmosphere, writing and style feels unspecial, but maintain it's normality without any issues. With the good production and solid camera work, Johansson does understand how to pull the strings on emotions as there are some solid emotional conversations, chemistry and charm between the characters and performances. Which does offer some sweet moments from June.

As mentioned, June's performance was wonderful as she offers her character to bring out into the light and shine. While the other performances are good, the characters don't feel very fleshed out at times, which made them not particularly engaging or as interesting as Johansson would have liked. Alongside with the cliched narrative, many of the style and choices were pretty cheesy and predictable. If you have seen movies like this before, then you know what will come next without a doubt.

Despite the cliche and predictable style, the general experience was still decent because of June's charmful performance and dialogue energy was able to convey the emotions successfully. She was the absolute best part of this movie. Overall, it isn't something I would see again quickly but it's decently heartwarming.

Eleanor the Great is a beautifully balanced film that captures the delicate interplay between grief and humor. I found myself deeply moved by how honestly it portrays loss, something that resonated with me on a very personal level, having experienced the pain of losing loved ones myself.

The performances were truly exceptional. The acting felt raw and genuine, allowing me to connect with the story in a very real way. Scarlett Johansson deserves great credit for her work as director. She's crafted a film that is both emotionally powerful and profoundly human.

What stood out most for me was how the character of Eleanor reminded me of my own grandmother, someone I deeply love and admire. That connection made the film's themes of memory, family, and resilience hit even harder.

Eleanor the Great is not just a story about grief, it's a celebration of life, love, and the quiet strength we find in the people we hold dear. A heartfelt, beautifully made film that lingers long after the credits roll.

Different kind of a Holocaust movie. It's sweet and sad, centering around a 94 year old woman who has just lost her best friend and moves from her Florida retirement community to Manhattan to live with her daughter and grandson. Soon after she meets a group of holocaust survivors and feels compelled to tell a story. The story/lie kind of takes on a life of its own and eventually gets out of hand with potentially tragic effect.

It's a small movie, a little bittersweet in its execution and end, but in the end somewhat slow and drab. The acting is generally very good. June Squibb is charming as she always is. A little more depth of character might have garnered her some Oscar consideration, but this performance would be a stretch.

If you have nothing else to do, it's not a waste of time.

What a gorgeous film. Not to be missed. Delightful, brilliantly acted and directed. Just fantastic. Judy Squibb's character doesn't like surprises ~ But I bet even she would make an exception for the deliciously surprising film. We all need to find kind common ground. And boundless hope comes from watching the uniting of people 70+ years apart in age & 0 apart in spirit.

June Squibb commands the screen and Scarlett Johansson didn't wiff on her first at bat but the script's flaws are hard to get over. Eleanor is framed as witty and fun but she is outright mean and distant. There's no real reason for who she connects with. She mourns her friend without mention of her husband. She keeps linking up with a NYU student but is cold to her daughter. The deception itself is something Eleanor could have easily gotten out of after that first meeting. There were no stakes in admitting it. But she continues lying to an NYU student -- who doesn't know how to Google for a fact check.

Eleanor isn't a very likeable protagonist, and that's before she pretends to be a Holocaust survivor. I may have some personal bias due to knowing an Eleanor-like person in my life but even with that aside, she doesn't come across as pleasant or easy to empathize with. She's rude, entitled, and combative, quick to be critical of her daughter's personal life, despite her disrupting her own life to bring Eleanor into her home. Eleanor proceeds to deceive everyone she meets along the way, but hey, when you're already halfway in the grave, why worry about consequences I guess?

The film touches on grief and tries to use it as the reasoning for Eleanor lying ways, excusing the problematic behavior that I'm not sure she at any point ends up regretting. The film makes clear she still has her wits about her, so a more believable explanation of onset dementia being the cause of her actions isn't on the table.

I guess it's like The Wolf of Wall Street for old Jewish women? Being in the spotlight and having people love you despite who gets hurt in the process, building a facade of suffering on top of continuing falsehoods. Except Jordan Belfort reaped what he sowed and his kingdom of deception eventually came crashing down. Eleanor gets to ride off into the sunset.

I will give credit to June Squibb for delivering a good performance, even if the characterization from the screenplay undercuts it. The rest of the cast was decent but nothing more than that. After this and Venom: The Last Dance, I'm thinking Chiwetel Ejiofor might need to consider a new agent.

Scarlett Johansson is a wonderful actress with a strong resume but as far as directorial debuts go, this one kind of fell flat. Shot and cut in a very generic way, held back by a lackluster script, I hope her next project behind the camera fares better. Sadly, Eleanor The Great is anything but.

Saw this as a "secret movie" so I had no idea what movie would be shown, so no expectations.

First off I enjoyed this movie a lot. The characters were all realistic and well acted. It seems strange to say a movie whose main theme is grief was full of humor, but it was. And that's why I thought it worked.

I loved this twist on a holocaust movie. It was fun, and super entertaining. I laughed a lot and was hit with the emotions that it brought. From the holocaust, to loss of a loved one. I thought everyone in it did great in this, beautiful acting in my opinion. I hope this movie gets more views and love because it really is a great one.

This was a movie unseen at AMC on 9-15-2025.

This was so generic it was almost like watching a TV Movie from Hallmark. Paper thin cliché of a story we've all seen a thousand times. I know it's Scarlett Johannson's first film as a director but there are others who make their debuts with much more aplomb. Think Jordan Peele recently, or Orson Welles if we go way back. Scarlett shouldn't get a pass just becuase of who she is. This is film making by numbers and I'm not sure it's worth a watch.

I really wanted to love this movie. The acting was amazingly done, especially Erin Kellyman. There were a few too many holes in this film. It was about grief but the stories being told did not really intertwine beyond a base level. The story could have been done with a better setup between the two main characters. It was entertaining. I just didn't think it really landed well. Also, films about certain historical context are losing their impact when told repeatedly. I got to see an early screening of this film. It's something I would watch on TV but it was not all it's hyped up to be.

This movie's fatal flaw is the script itself. The setup is good. The situation is strong. Actors and direction are fine, but there are too many unbelievable elements in the script. Would someone really burst into a meeting being held in a synagogue to humiliate an elderly parent? (There's chutzpah, and there's cruelty.) Would a TV news anchor go off script to tell a personal story? (Television bills charges to the sponsor by the minute.) Why should an attractive young woman announce that she is gay to an elderly woman? It is of no importance to the story. (They really didn't need to score any DEI points. There were plenty of minority characters as it was, since at least two of the major characters are non-white.) That said, this is one of those films that "mean well," but comes off as amateurish. The film's strongest element are the actors' performances, despite having to say, in some cases, some very improbable lines. June Squibb is a charmer and her performances in NEBRASKA and THELMA attest to her being a fine actress. But the most impressive performance in the film belongs to Rita Zohar, the protagonist's best friend who dies at the beginning of the film, but shows up in many moving flashbacks. I wouldn't say that this is a bad movie, but the script could have used some fixes.

Art is supposed to cause emotions, and this film did that for me. I was happy, sad, laughed, cried, angry, excited, and everything in between. This film is about loss and sharing stories. While how it was done definitely caused me to have certain feelings it made me remember that grief makes people different and act different. Fantastic job June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson. Very well done!

June Squibb has an incredible on screen persona, she's magnetic. Erin Kellyman also did a fantastic job as well. The relationship between the two was really moving, sweet, full of humour and also of sadness. The score is also a true delight. I just think the script was lacking, it really let's the whole piece down. I also think the supporting cast were bang average. However it is important to remember survivors as we move deeper into the 2020s there will be fewer and fewer with us, which is one thing this film showcases really well. It also feels very timely given what's happening around the world right now. Decent effort from Scarlett but I think her next project she needs better writers.

Okay, this was so painful that I bailed at 7 minutes 55. To me this was totally unwatchable.

These two women with a sense of entitlement which is higher than the Everest could ever manage. The way the main character handles the young boy in the supermarket with a level of condescension which is nothing short of atomic and then lying through her teeth to this hard-working nurse about the fact that her friend is one of the main financiers of the hospital she works in.

Basically lording it over everybody who comes in her path. You know you are looking at a major class fabulist. Somebody who lives in a realm of fantasy and tries to impart it onto the ones around her. It is painful to watch.

As regards the filming, well I am a huge fan of Scarlett Johansson as an actress but here nothing works. Within two or three minutes I could tell nothing works.

The scenes jump, the places the camera chooses to settle on make no sense. We have a long debate about pickles. We have a long debate about, or rather a long scene showing us pastrami being cut in case we hadn't quite understood who we were talking about here. Which section of the population. It is so cliched.

Nothing good could come from this going forward. So I did the only decent thing I could possibly do. I jumped out of the plane without a parachute. No way would this be any good. Half an hour later, an hour later. I know I have very little to draw on because I bailed out so early. But to me that is unwatchable dross.

I am sorry this great actress picked this kind of topic to start her directing career. Hopefully she will do better next time. But for me this is a zero to one star situation here.

Horrible characters. Bad filming. Avoid.

Do not miss this "small" movie that is being cheated out of its achievements by divisive politics and hatred. No movie has more to teach about the human experience than this one does. Kudos to Johanssen and her stellar cast for giving us a movie that shows us the very best, most human and humane way to live. A film of remarkable beauty.

After the loss of her roommate and dear friend, Eleanor returns home to her family. Feeling isolated and alone, Eleanor befriends a young journalism student. She shares a story with her that becomes something than she ever expected.

This is another excellent film involving growth, aging, and sudden life changes. The story explores how the loss of a loved one and grief affect people, particularly the elderly. It intertwines a tragic historical event with the importance of sharing life histories and personal stories. Despite the heavy themes, there is a good deal of humor and sass throughout. The one hour and thirty-eight-minute runtime gets to the point of the story quickly, and the ending even faster. Definitely an excellent stream for some decent laughs.

Stories about spunky old ladies are sweet and can be interesting but this one didn't go the way I thought it would. It gets too didactic. I kind of hate the whole telling a little white lie that balloons out of proportion and eventually gets found out, preferably very publicly and then you have to make amends trope. I just hate it, there's nothing new to it and it's so obvious it's staring you in the face the whole time.

Plus I hated her daughter and her son. Nina is kind of mopey and the news anchor is just insufferable. His speech on air should get him fired, I'm sorry that's not news, it's just manipulative and self-serving and a tough sell for me.

Eleanor shines when she does her thing and not speak about the Holocaust. Strong ending though. At least they chose that right. Or they could have kept Bessie alive and let her tell the story.

Eleanor the Great is a sweet film, even if it does miss a few opportunities to really dive into its themes.

It follows Eleanor, a woman grieving the loss of her best friend of decades, who moves back to New York City to be closer to her daughter. It isn't long before she enters into a strange relationship with student Nina, which is based on a lie.

It's an engaging tale, driven by some solid performances, a tender script, and some effective exploration of grief. I do think that the film almost had the wrong focus though, as I was so much more invested in the relationship between Nina and her father than I was in Eleanor. Maybe that is a testament to the acting chops of Erin Kellyman and Chiwetel Ejiofor, both of whom I found particularly compelling. Eleanor was still a well penned character though, and the performance by June Squibb was more than adequate.

I think considering the subject matter and the relationships involved, this film could have and should have been more emotional. I'm not sure what was missing in giving it this, but it needed something more.

Overall though, I was impressed by this film and was moved sufficiently. It didn't blow me away, but it's a nice, sweet, and engaging film and is well worth a watch.