Eleanor the Great, Directed By Scarlett Johansson, follows the story of Eleanor, a 94-year-old woman, and her journey through grieving the loss of her best friend. Despite this being a low-budget production and Johansson’s directorial debut, this film tells its story in a very succinct and emotional way. 

Starting off with the lead of this film, June Squibb delivers one of the most captivating performances of 2025 thus far. Eleanor is a complicated, sassy, sarcastic, and in some ways deeply sad woman who goes on a journey of finding her own emotional truths within a lie she tells to deal with her grief. Finding an actor with the ability to capture emotion and allow you genuinely feel for the character, then in the very next scene have you laughing out loud, is a rare occurrence. Now add on the fact that the character you’re casting for is 94, and it becomes a nearly impossible task. However, June Squibb pulls it off. Squibb’s comedic timing is impeccable, her emotional delivery is on point, and her chemistry with Eleanor’s young friend Nina (Erin Kellyman) is thoroughly enjoyable. There’s an industry tip that most actors give that’s something along the lines of “it’s sad to watch a character cry, but it’s devastating to watch a character try not to cry”. Squibb takes this concept and runs with it; she subtly shows us Eleanor’s internal emotional struggle and allows it to slowly bubble up for an impactful release in the climax of the film. This movie made me not only an instant fan of Squibb but also gave me an itch to look into her past projects.

Another thing worth mentioning about this film is the writing. A majority of the plot of this film surrounds Eleanor telling her best friend’s story of surviving the holocaust as her own, as a way to honor her friend’s passing and help her move past it. This is a very difficult plotline to balance from a writing standpoint because of all the dark themes it deals with. Focusing on a central character who is actively lying about being in one of the darkest moments in American history allows for a very unique story. That being said, because of the weight it carries, it takes a lot of effort to keep this protagonist likable and someone that the audience can sympathize with. Tory Kamen, the screenwriter, does this flawlessly, and draws from her own grandma’s life experiences to ground Eleanor’s character in a sense of reality. By making Eleanor closed off and slowly open up throughout the film, we can peel back layers of her inner motivations so that by the time the film ends, we not only sympathize with, but understand her actions. 

Being an “indie” film about the Jewish experience, this movie can be pretty immediately compared to last year’s (award-winning) A Real Pain. While Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin have undeniable chemistry, accompanied by some beautiful cinematography (in A Real Pain), it’s clear that Eleanor the Great surpasses it on almost every level. From the comedic moments, or its captivating main characters, to the quiet tear jerking scenes, Eleanor the Great just works better than A Real Pain. Most prominently, it deals with the Holocaust in a much deeper way. A Real Pain does a lot of talking about the terrible things that happened in Germany’s past, but it focuses majorly on the newer generation of the Jewish religion and the different effects grief can have on people. In contrast, while Eleanor the Great also only references the Holocaust (no flashback scenes or photos from the time are shown), its presence is still ingrained into the film. This movie features real-life Holocaust survivors, and it uses their grief and others like it to tell the story of a woman who is dealing with her own grief. The way this story is told doesn’t alienate those who aren’t Jewish; instead, it allows the audience to relate this tragedy to the personal grief they felt in their own life, and delivers the very impactful message that it’s ok to hold onto those emotions and share your experiences with others. Rather than the familial connection in A Real Pain, Eleanor the Great focuses on how human connection and expressing our emotions can heal us. It shows the importance of support and the power of being a friend when someone really needs it. 

Overall, I’d give this movie a 4 out of 5. It tells an emotional story with loads of humor and leaves the audience with a sense of compassion for those who have experienced tragedy in their own life. If this is Johansson’s debut as director, I can’t wait to see what she makes next, and I’m hopeful for the stories she brings to the screen in the future.