Grandma (2015)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

In the opening scenes of this financially challenged flick "Grandma" under the direction of Paul Weitz, I swore I was going to show my disdain for it. But after a while, I started to progressively get into it as the characters kind of became easy to relate with as their stories drew its attention to its audiences making it all the more easier to watch. It's a rare finding to see a film where the film is sinking in expectations in the beginning only to emerge later on the film, but "Grandma" is one of those exceptions. Lily Tomlin is the leading performer as Elle Reid, a cynical smarmy, foul-mouthed lesbian poet, who before the film starts has just broken up with her girlfriend (Judy Greer) after courting for four months. In an attempt to vent out her frustration, she regards her lover as nothing more than a footnote. Shortly after this messy breakup, she gets a visit from Sage (Julia Garner), her granddaughter who needs some much needed cash to go with her abortion but is too afraid to ask her intimidating mother Judy (the always incredible and fearful Marcia Gay Harden). Elle is also low on dough, but still takes Sage along for a rough and wild ride to get some old allies to see if they could conjure up a few bucks that they owe her.The opening scenes were quite eye-catching, but the early scenes were placed as just an excuse to have Tomlin's Elle to churn out the laughs by embarrassing Sage in one situation after the next. They visit a coffee shop that was once a clinic for women facing similar problems as Sage's and sure enough Elle causes a scene by loudly exploiting the high costs of abortions which leads Elle get into a verbal sparring match with an unfortunate worker named Chau (John Cho). They visit the diner where her ex Olivia works, which results in a myriad of childish verbal abuse and condescending insults. They come to a tattoo parlour and the tattoo artist (Laverne Cox) isn't strong in her finances, but offers Elle a new tattoo. Tomlin is truly a great legend in comedy that traces back to the 1960's, but sadly here she seems reduced to just playing the type-cast sassy grandma.It's just that we've seen this way too many times in movies where old-timers get involved in awkward situations and are doing it just to get a laugh from their audience. And to make it more appalling they force the comedy down our throats with that awful pizzicato scores in the background.By the time Elle gets to visit one of her rare relationships with her ex-husband Karl (Sam Elliott), whom she was estranged with for 30 years before discovering that her true affection is with women, this movie starts to pick up. To see her go so far as to visit the man she kept herself apart for so long clearly points out she's low on options to get money while reminiscing awful memories about their troubled past.Even though his role is very brief, Elliott truly brings out the best in his performance and truly shows that less could mean more Elliott brings a lot of depth, emotional pain and nuance to his role he is the character that garners the most sympathy from. After all the superficial and forceful humour depicted here, Elliott turns the table with a more real and raw turn that has a dramatic edge to the film. Elle starts to change on me as we see her transform from a sitcom like geriatric to a more humane character we could all relate to. Even when the film returns to the madcap silliness, I have become more invested in her character. Sure abortion is a subject matter that is very sensitive to grasp at, it will surely spark divinity in how this situation is handled. One thing for sure, Sage is not going to change her mind about going through this difficult procedure. What makes this film so unique is that every character has a differing opinion of this heavy-handed subject matter, but it's handled in a mature perspective, even if the comical elements tell you otherwise.There are no villains in how one feels about abortion which is refreshing in itself. The other trait that makes this film unique is that it goes along with Sage's decision without being judgmental even though the baggage she carries with her is something she'll have to deal with.The midway comeback in this movie isn't strong on unpredictability. The closing scenes are cliched with sentimental vibes and moral lessons we would expect from a standard comedy-drama. However, the emotions will surely tug at your heartstrings and hope that all ends well for the characters in the film once it ends. It's truly a film one could treasure and feel good about after watching it.

Lily Tomlin as an elderly, semi-retired poet and lesbian at the end of her rope: her latest girlfriend has left her, she's flat broke, she's not speaking to her daughter…and, her teenage granddaughter has just turned up on her doorstep needing $630 for an abortion. Small-scaled road-movie with chapter-stops for the various people in Tomlin's life who help her, want to help her, or shut the door on her. Tragic-comedy in the modern age, plain-spoken (with reams of foul language) and bursts of violent temperament (some of it verging, unsuccessfully, on parody). Writer-director Paul Weitz allows his star lots of room to emote, to sound off, to be belligerent and stubborn, and even occasionally be funny. The tone of the movie is hard to pin down, with situations that waver between the realistic and the absurd (sometimes in the same scene). While the film is exhausting, it is also rewarding, with a nicely screwy grandma-granddaughter bond between Tomlin and young Julia Garner. A visit to the house of former-flame Sam Elliott doesn't quite wash (and his scary demeanor introduces an ugly undercurrent to the movie); also, the events during the final jaunt are too broad, simply padding the running-time. The closing moments, however, are terrific, ending the story on a wistful, hopeful/not hopeful note that is entirely appropriate for the central character. **1/2 from ****

Where was the Oscar nomination for Lily Tomlin as best actress here. Wow, was she ever passed up for this.This no-nonsense academic grandmother who is way ahead of her time gave Tomlin the opportunity to present one of her best performances ever. Ascerbic, to the point, but the hip lesbian grandmother pulled no punches here.The film is devoted to Tomlin trying to pay for an abortion for her granddaughter. It depicts their various adventures in this pursuit and culminates in one scene where Tomlin beats up the father of the child.Grieving the loss of her partner Violet and ending of a relationship with a much younger girl will only complicate matters but Tomlin's character has the mettle to carry on.

GRANDMA is that strange type of film that is at one humorous, sensitive, philosophical, and speeds through a fast paced day in the life of the differences and similarities between the aged and the young. Written and directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Being Flynn, In Good Company, Mozart in the Jungle) and employing a cast of immense talent, this film addresses many issues before the public today – same sex partnerships/marriages, abortions, mother/daughter relationships, aging, and more. It is both entertaining and it works very well as a comedy drama – much like life.Sage (Julia Garner) is a teenager who discovers she is pregnant and the boyfriend responsible shuns her and doesn't want to help her. Sage has a tense relationship with the mother Judy (Marcia Gay Harden) and cannot turn to her for financial assistance to pay for a scheduled abortion so instead she seeks out her lesbian maternal grandma Elle (Lily Tomlin) who is in the throes of breaking up with a young girl Olivia (Judy Greer) after recovering from the death of her 38 year relationship with her beloved Violet who had been as much a grandma to Sage as Elle has been. Elle relationship with Judy has been strained for years and Elle decides Judy would be the last source of borrowing for this particular project. Together Elle and Sage set out to find the money to pay for the evening's scheduled procedure and in the process they encounter old acquaintances (Elizabeth Peña, Sam Elliott and eventually crusty mother Judy) and the procedure is accomplished – and Elle has traversed memories of a life she does not regret. So many fine moments of solid dialogue are interspersed with this 'road trip' that make this film a very sensitive examination of mother/daughter/grandmother relationships. Tomlin, Harden, Elliott, Greer and Garner are all in top form. The ending, quiet and solitary, speaks fathoms about human sensitivity.