Grandma (2015)

Very disappointing...

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Writer-Director Paul Weitz' dramedy "Grandma" might not be a grand showstopper of a movie but it has a grand performance from veteran actress Lily Tomlin, and that was grandly suffice. Tomlin stars as Elle, an outspoken & tough-as-nails grandmother/mom who assists her granddaughter Sage in her mission to get funds for an abortion. It might sound like a very simplistic plot, but there were some dynamic family connections to it; especially when Sage's mom/Elle's daughter Judy comes into the picture. Weitz draws up "Grandma" as a mini-tour movie highlighting Elle and Sage, and it primarily focuses on how an vociferous and mean-spirited grandmother could still show her "heart of gold" to do whatever it takes to help her granddaughter. Sure, there is some formulaic family feud dynamics we have seen before, especially in the relationship between Elle and Judy; but it's not that huge of a flaw. Tomlin was grandly snubbed for a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her outstanding performance here as Elle. Although, Marcia Gay Harden as Judy and Julia Garner as Sage were performances that were not too grand. I did like though the supporting work of the vastly underrated Judy Greer as Elle's younger lover Olivia, and Sam Elliot as Elle's ex-boyfriend Karl. But it's Tomlin who was the most grandiose in "Grandma", and that enough is worth a grand look at this movie. **** Good

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 ****

Hard to finish the movie when you hate the main character. Don't get me wrong. I think Lily Tomlin is a great actress and would like to see her in much more movies but awful sentences can make even excellent actor sound unnatural and amateurish. Add to those awful sentences bunch of overused indie movie clichés (like transsexual hairdresser, cool lesbian grandmother etc.) and fair dose of unmotivated screaming (guess for creating comical moments when there is none) you get recipe for disaster. I behaved like a hipster few years ago and had way to much compassion for all sort of indie or European hyped movies and tried to "understand" them or blame myself for not liking them (I thought I missed some greatness or am not educated enough) but no more. I don't like this movie. Sorry

I find it funny that whenever a movie is about controversial subjects in which we have learned to have tolerance for, then it automatically gets great reviews from the critics. I guess none of them want to say the wrong thing and have groups protesting them. Therefore, if a movie is about the correct subject, it doesn't matter how low it's budget is or how bad the acting or direction is, it will still get great reviews. I am a little braver than that. This movie is about subjects that I hold dear to my heart and I agree with a lot of what it had to say, but I am going to be honest, it was a really poorly done movie. The writing was terrible...the directing was terrible...Julia Garner was terrible and the filming was terrible. It was like watching a high school auto visual class project. The only reason why I gave it two stars to begin with is because of the main subject matter and Lily Tomlin is one of my favorite actors. Yes, we need more movies about strong female role models and about a woman's rights and empowerment, but that doesn't mean every movie that comes along with this subject matter is a "home run". I think that they must have felt that there was no way this movie could fail, because the topic/s were so strong. If I asked anyone if they liked this movie, no one would have the stones to be honest. If I asked any man, they'd be afraid to say how crappy this movie was because they wouldn't want to offend women in general and if I asked any woman, they'd be afraid to say it was crappy because they would be too embarrassed to look weak and submissive. There is a lot of issues that needed to be addressed in this movie and were, but it was done poorly! I did not like the movie and I think that it might have hurt woman's rights more than help them! In conclusion: This move was a snore fest. The character development, acting and direction was terrible. I can not recommencement this to anyone.