#TIFF25: “ELEANOR THE GREAT” REVIEW

By Mr. Will Wong

Acclaimed Actress Scarlett Johansson tries her hand and directing in Dramedy ELEANOR THE GREAT, giving veteran Actress June Squibb a vehicle for recognition with a stellar performance, incredibly at the age of 95.

Hot off its Festival run, including a tiff50 debut, this Film centers on Eleanor (Squibb), who is about to lose her Holocaust-surviving friend Bessie (Ritz Zohar). Feeling alone, with the sense that her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) is looking to admit her to a seniors’ residence, she winds up joining a Holocaust survivors support group where she is welcomed and given attention, as she channels Bessie‘s accounts.  Eleanor meets 19-year-old Nina (Erin Kellyman), who recently lost her mother.  The two strike-up an unlikely friendship, with Eleanor offering to share her Holocaust survivor experience to help advance Nina‘s ambitions to be a journalist. But what happens when the truth is uncovered about Eleanor?

Squibb‘s fantastic work is undeniable here, truly captivating the audience even where there are some imbalances and moments where the story feels a little implausible and the Film navigates that fine line tonally between Comedy and Drama.  She is a treasure and it is impossible to see any other Actress pull it all of in such a lovable, sharp way. Kellyman delivers a heartfelt performance in what was my introduction to the British Actress here, giving the story some weight as it truly is a portrait of grief and the void it leaves behind. She far exceeds the maturity of Nina‘s said 19-years-of-age.  Squibb and Kellyman together are a wonderful pairing, successfully filling voids in each other’s character’s lives when their families aren’t making them feel seen and heard.

ELEANOR THE GREAT screens at TIFF ’25:

Monday, September 8
Roy Thomson Hall
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
5:30 pm

Tuesday, September 9
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
11:30 am

Friday, September 12
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:15 pm

Sunday, September 14
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:00 pm

#TIFF25: DAY FIVE HIGHLIGHTS – DWAYNE JOHNSON, EMILY BLUNT, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, JUNE SQUIBB, JACOB ELORDI, OSCAR ISAAC, MIA GOTH, AMANDA SEYFRIED, LEWIS PULLMAN AND MORE

tiff50 day five is perhaps the most star-studded yet, taking the festival right to the summit! premieres for some of the festival’s most-anticipated titles: frankenstein, the testament of ann lee, eleanor the great, and the smashing machine all took place!

some of our day five highlights:

•amanda seyfried and lewis pullman at tiff for the testament of ann lee

•noah jupe at tiff for & sons

•lily james at tiff for swiped

•lee byung-hun at tiff for no other choice

•callum turner at tiff for eternity

•mia goth, oscar isaac, and jacob elordi at tiff for frankenstein

•scarlett johansson and june squibb at tiff for eleanor the great

•dwayne johnson, emily blunt, benny safdie at tiff for the smashing machine

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by William Wong (@mrwillwong)

(photo/video credit: mr. will wong)