GRANDMA, dir. Paul Weitz
After spending 50 years in the industry and earning a slew of Emmys, Tonys and Grammys, as well as multiple Oscar and Golden Globe noms, Lily Tomlin has become something of a towering figure in pop culture. Even if you haven’t seen her work with guys like Altman and, most infamously, David O. Russell, her TV work (like ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN, THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS, THE WEST WING, and DAMAGES; all nominated or awarded performances, by the way), her live specials, or her handful of recorded albums, you still have probably encountered Tomlin and her no-nonsense comedic sense at some point over the years. She remains an iconoclast and a true original, and as feminism in Hollywood becomes more and more of a concern, her inherent strength and unwillingness to succumb to the pitfalls of the industry makes her seem more cool and relevant than ever.
Paul Weitz (AMERICAN DREAMZ, IN GOOD COMPANY) admitted as much when he introduced GRANDMA, joking that he only came up with the script as an excuse to keep working with Tomlin, who appeared in his ADMISSION. As a narrative, the movie’s nothing brilliant: Tomlin’s Elle has just broken up with her girlfriend (Judy Greer), and has to help her pregnant granddaughter Olivia (Julia Garner) raise enough money to pay for her abortion appointment later that afternoon (actual thing I overheard after the screening, from a 60-ish lady no less: ). The pair traverse L.A. calling in favors, confronting the child’s loserish father, and reuniting with a bunch of figures from Elle’s past in an attempt to raise the 800 or so bucks for the operation. It’s a cute story, but it’s just a wraparound; Olivia’s decision to abort the baby’s already been made, so there’s nothing really at stake aside from whether they’ll have to resort to asking her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) for the money.
But like the title implies, this film is all about Tomlin’s vehemently feminist, take-no-shit granny. It’s really built around her talents, and it’s an ideal mix of her biting comic attitude and her more serious side that we saw in NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS. It’s not a radial departure from her typical persona, but she owns the role and completely justifies the way the film orbits around her. Tomlin’s in her mid-70s, but her character has an attractive young ex-girlfriend, still talks about her orgasms, and can easily physically dominate guys a quarter her age; better still, the way she sells it, it never seems like bullshit.
The various characters that pop in and out are interesting, but special note has to go to Sam Elliot’s virile old coot from Elle’s past. Their segment together has a ton of sparks, but goes to places that give Elliot more meat to chew on than you initially expect. It was also heartbreaking to see Elizabeth Pena in there for a second as Elle’s barista friend. Garner is quietly likable in her straight man role, but ultimately, she’s swallowed alive first by Tomlin, and eventually by both Tomlin and Harden. Harden, perfectly cast (seriously, the two-shots of her and Tomlin make them totally seem like mother and daughter), starts out playing her role as an arch workaholic type before quickly revealing layers underneath, particularly surprising similarities with her progressive, hippy-dippy mom. It’s essentially a road film of sorts, and pretty much all the stops along the way have something new to bring to the film, giving Tomlin a whole range of juicy material to exercise her chops with.
Elvis Mitchell introduced the film by saying it felt like a literary short story, and I agree in the sense that the events are of a very small scale and there are no significant narrative twists to blow our minds. But this is Lily Tomlin’s best chance to run wild in a long long time, even better than GRACE & FRANKIE; without a powerhouse like Jane Fonda to share the screen with, Tomlin picks up the extra slack and picks up both dramatic and comedic duties with as much skill as she’s ever shown. The film is also commendable for its even-handed, thoroughly modern portrayal of abortions, homosexuality, the elderly, and the transgendered, most of which directs right back to Elle herself. Paul Weitz’s film is both funnier and more endearing than his last, ADMISSION, and shows a cool side to him in this crusty old lady’s story that I have a feeling will click with folks when it comes out. But probably most so with fans of Tomlin.
GRANDMA will take care of you on August 21st.
