Category: Erin Kellyman

ELEANOR THE GREAT

By Marc S. Sanders

In her directorial debut, Scarlett Johansson offers purpose and more to gain and learn about life even when you’re in your mid-90’s.  She directs June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein, a widowed ninety-four-year-old Jewish mother who relocates from Florida back to New York City when her roommate of eleven years, Bessie (Rita Zohar), has passed away.   Temporarily, she moves in with her preoccupied daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and her twenty something son Max (Will Price), whose best friend is his cell phone.  Lisa encourages Eleanor to move into an assisted living home, but the spunky, independent woman opts to visit the local Jewish Community Center (JCC) where she inadvertently comes upon a Holocaust survival group.  She certainly doesn’t belong here as she never had to endure that dark period, nor did any of her family.  Yet, before she can excuse herself, she is recounting Bessie’s personal experience of surviving the concentration camps while losing her brother to the Nazis.  It’s Bessie’s story, not Eleanor’s.

Nina is a student at NYU who’s been welcomed to observe this meeting to complete a journalism assignment.  She is a quiet, young girl played with stunning sensitivity by Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier).  The entire group of elders and Nina are completely taken with Eleanor’s anecdote and extend a loving hand of gratitude and support.  When the meeting ends, Eleanor makes a quick exit, but Nina is determined to learn more about her ordeal.  

Nina is enduring an aftermath of grief following the sudden loss of her mother.  Her father is Roger, a famous newscaster played by Chiwetel Ejiofor beautifully staying under the radar of the leading ladies. Roger hardly engages with Nina.  Her world is empty and alone.  Yet, when a bond forms with Eleanor the isolation dwindles. Eleanor doesn’t frown or judge Nina for being gay.  She loves that she’s filled a void her daughter and grandson leave empty, especially around Shabbat.  The two need one another. 

It’s the lie that sets the women apart though.  In addition, Eleanor’s story is catching on with the JCC community and Nina’s NYU professor and class.  More importantly, her school project impresses Roger who sees potential for a televised story that will include the ladies’ newfound friendship, Eleanor’s upcoming bat mitzvah service, and her supposed survival through the Holocaust that never happened to her.  The more this tale evolves among the populace, the harder it becomes for Eleanor to be honest.

Eleanor The Great hinges on the chemistry between two distant generations with very uncommon backgrounds.  For the film to work June Squibb and Erin Kellyman had to be interesting both together and separately.  Tory Kamen’s script explores their respective loneliness just as much as the times they share either in a surprise trip to Coney Island, over a Shabbat dinner, or when Eleanor gets up the nerve to be bat mitzvahed with Nina by her side.

Johansson’s film is not long and therefore not as expansive on dialogue.  She finds scenes to detail the exposition of Kamen’s screenplay with impressive visual performances from Squibb, and especially Kellyman.  We eventually learn how Nina’s Jewish mother passed, but we first learn that she died when Kellyman enters a room in the apartment she shares with Roger.  Scarlett Johansson does not rush through this scene.  There’s no verbiage.  Only coverage with her camera and strong closeups on Kellyman and the decor and props that occupy the room.  It’s enough to get the idea and feel strongly for the character.

The director takes a similar tactic with Eleanor.  The prologue of the film presents an endearing relationship of daily routine between her and her best friend Bessie as they wake up with an energetic early start to their day comprised of breakfast, exercise, a visit to the market and a lively argument with another customer, followed by a sit down on a bench overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  When Bessie passes, Eleanor returns to these familiar locales only now we recognize the best friend’s absence.  This is all completed in the first ten minutes.  Superb, uncomplicated visual storytelling.

I have two shortcomings with the film, however.  One concerns how the truth is finally revealed.  It’s too contrived and the only time that this story doesn’t feel genuine.  Yet, it does not capsize the movie either.  

As well, a side storyline for Eleanor seems unfinished.  Just one more scene was needed to complete the picture.  It could have even been offered over the end credits.  I’ll explain down below so as not to spoil anything.  Perhaps, the budget on this small project wouldn’t allow it to be shot.

Eleanor The Great is a wonderful surprise for all ages.  It teeters on getting schmaltzy without getting thick, and while you expect the big misunderstanding is going to reveal itself, you’re not eager to get there.  You get taken up in this very special relationship.  When all the cards are laid on the table, the film puts all the weight on Rita Zohar’s character for Bessie to recall her heartbreaking experience.  The last thing that terrible encounter could ever be is weepy or schmaltzy.  Zohar offers complete truth and transparency in a genuinely heartbreaking monologue.  The budget likely wouldn’t allow a visual recap in history for this small film, but that’s a blessing.  We’ve seen literal flashbacks far too often.  Johansson goes for the acting and recollection of the character.  She does not get over inventive with camera work and simply depends on Zohar’s skilled stage performance with Squibb next to her to listen and react.  It’s utterly harrowing and brilliantly descriptive.

June Squibb is lovable but also tough, happy, sassy and suddenly complex, which Eleanor absolutely never wanted to be.  This ninety something year old is not stressing about death like so many other characters in this category. Her conflict is stressed on holding on to her connection to a new friend.

Erin Kellyman is a young actress that needs a huge following.  She has a unique natural beauty; an appearance that doesn’t invite glamour like so many others in Hollywood rely upon. Still, the camera loves her. She’s completely striking with her natural behavior. This is an actor ready for dimensional roles that are summed up over a two hour span, and not in the first five minutes.  It would be a huge regret to overlook the promise of her instinctive talent in front of the camera.  Scarlett Johansson lends every favor imaginable to enhance everything Kellyman can offer.  This actress is this new director’s Jackson Pollack.

This small picture with so much to offer, Eleanor The Great, can be found on Netflix currently (May, 2026).  It’s an absolute treasure not to be missed.

SPOILER ALERT: Eleanor was intent on having a Bat Mitzvah.  We see her discussing her Torah portion with the Rabbi about the deception that Jacob does on his father Isaac, and we witness her practicing for the upcoming event.  However, due to an inconvenient interruption, that service never gets completed.  When all is resolved by the end of the film, we never get to see Eleanor’s bat mitzvah occur.  It’s like Rocky missing the championship fight.  It really had to be there, even if it was filmed with an orchestral score over the scene.  Truly a glaring, regrettable omission.

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

By Marc S. Sanders

To those who naysayed this standalone installment in the galaxy far, far away, all I say is you are trying too hard to be pleased.  Shut up and have some fun, will ya?

Solo: A Star Wars Story presents a film that stands on its own, relying on mysterious legendary side stories only talked briefly about for the last fortysomething years like the Kessel Run, Sabaac card games, dice and the origin of how Chewbacca met everyone’s favorite space smuggler, Han Solo, plus the Millennium Falcon and the scoundrel Lando Calrissian.  

My brother and even a few friends of mine (Joe Pauly) grew up loving John Wayne’s films. No one else epitomized a Hollywood western better than The Duke.  He was their childhood hero.  For me, it is the generation after that which introduced the space cowboy Han Solo played by Harrison Ford.  He is not anywhere near a multi-dimensional character; pretty one note if you ask me (which ironically is opposite of what I demand in any kind of storytelling these days).  

Captain Solo was the guy who would make it up as he goes; never planning ahead or considering others beyond his trusted furry partner and his beloved spaceship.  He’d poorly talk his way out of trapped situations and when that didn’t work, he was a fast draw with his blaster.  

The screenwriters for Solo, legendary Lawrence Kasdan with his son Jonathan, were all aware of Han’s placement in this space opera, while constructing this film.  Only this time they intended on showing how that devil may care came about. It reminded me of a similar approach writer Paul Haggis took with the reinvention of James Bond in Casino Royale.    A lone hero trusts very little beyond his own arrogance and self-assurance.  The Kasdsans used that technique as the spine for this story and it works.

Director Ron Howard is the right guy to fill in following a notorious director incident beforehand.  Howard keeps the film moving fast with casualties you might not expect to perish, revealing masks (an under looked theme of the original films), traitors, fast ships, fast cars, and their pursuits and chases.  A favorite scene, saluting the Western, is a thrilling train robbery across a snowy mountain that seamlessly changes its angle and vector at times.  It’s as awesome a scene as it promised in the trailers.  

Howard is best at keeping the film grounded in actors rather than tired CGI cartoons.  He definitely makes Han, Lando and the rest look convincing trying to steer a ship or carry a blaster and play cards.

The cast is great.  Alden Ehrenreich is fine in the role; young, cocky, brash, handsome.  I wasn’t looking for him to do a Harrison Ford impersonation.  That would only look like a 12:45 am Saturday Night Live skit. The guy had to do his own thing, not someone else’s much like the Batman and Bond films have done before.  Donald Glover is perfect as Lando, even adopting Billy Dee Williams own way of pronunciation (“Han” vs Ha-an”).  Still, he makes the part his own.  He’s fun to watch.  Beyond some mild makeup scarring, Paul Bettany makes for a really uncomfortable crime lord, like a suave Miami Vice drug kingpin, and Woody Harrelson is just right in the inspirational pirate role; gruff and tough and educating.  Emilia Clarke is finally directed properly in a film.  (I still haven’t forgotten her awful Terminator: Genisys Sarah Conner portrayal.). She is dangerously sexy, but smarmy and cocky like Carrie Fisher was.  She’s a great femme fatale of the 1940s beautifully incorporated into some very thick sci fi.  

This was such a fun time at the movies.  Go ahead.  Accuse me of my bias, but as well shouldn’t I be expected to be a tough demanding critic of all new Star Wars material?  I’d probably be wanting it to match the magic of the original trilogy.  Well no.  I don’t want it that way.  I want new and fresh ideas, while still recognizing George Lucas’ used universe settings.  Disney and Lucasfilm continue to move along, stretching their imagination in monies well spent while also following the rules of smart aleck characters, film western motifs, Eastern cultures and death-defying cliffhangers.  Had the Star Wars franchise remained with Fox, audiences would not be getting the treats we’ve been blessed with for these last 10 years.

Solo really only has two minor misfires.  The droid L3, Lando’s Co-pilot, does not live up to Anthony Daniels nor Alan Tudyk and their high brow robot attitudes.  Why? Because it’s hard to understand what L3 is truly saying.  The lines are garbled at times; drowned out by the robot dialect I guess, and maybe also by a mostly origninal score.

As well, there is one ending moment that’s eye opening, but puzzling with little demand for it.  It was one surprise that did not seem to be well thought out and considering this is a stand alone film, it left me unsure of what Lucasfilm hoped to gain from it.  The moment was too distracting for me.  Yet it’s in there and it’s not the worst offense.  Just very very unnecessary and perplexing.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is none other than great fun with something to think about.   I was laughing out loud.  The audience we were with was clapping and cheering.  That’s why Star Wars films continue to thrive.  Their audiences get caught up in the ride, especially when the films are relatable while not taking themselves too seriously.