Often times unlikable characters are what make a film so appealing, complex characters who are not sympathetic to the viewer but endlessly interesting due to their own personal strife. What makes a film like Grandma work is it presents such a character in Elle, a bitter, old woman, and slowly forces the viewer to feel empathetic towards this character, un-peeling the layers of her struggle and revealing a human-being with her own faults, trauma, and experiences. Paul Weitz's Grandma is a film that establishes early on that Elle isn't exactly the most upbeat individual, exhibiting a misanthropic-type woman who has just gotten through a mean-spirited breakup with her girlfriend only to find her granddaughter Sage at the door needing $600 for an abortion. Temporarily broke, Elle spends the day with Sage attempting to track down the money necessary, which requires Elle visit old friends and old flames unannounced. The structure of Grandma is simple but quite brilliant, following Elle as she is forced to confront her past relationships, some which are more reluctant to see her than others, each shedding new insights into Elle as a human-being and what has led to her current status - a grandmother who has very little contact with her own daughter. Featuring a good amount of dark humor, Lily Tomlin gives a strong performance as Elle, displaying a head-strong woman who is far too difficult to ask or allow for others to help. Elle is a character who has never been able to admit her mistakes or express her humility, something that has led to these destructive relationships, not only with lovers but with her own daughter. Through this character of Elle, Grandma is truly a film about humility and family, exhibiting that it's always acceptable to ask for help, to admit weakness and seek comfort or guidance from those who care about you or love you. This is a film that acknowledges the importance of being a strong woman while simultaneously understanding the importance of humility, balancing these two forces quite well. Grandma also shows a strong grasp of family dynamics between these three generations of woman, with both Elle's daughter and her granddaughter, Sage, each having their strong-willed, sometimes pigheaded attitudes from Elle, an assured trait of self worth that has likely been past down through the generations. Featuring a transfixing lead performance from Lily Tomlin, Grandma is a film that manages to entertain with its colorful characters while simultaneously showing an ability to offer some pensive insights into family and humility.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|