As abortion and its moral complexities continue to be a hot topic in politics, so it will be in film. "Grandma", the latest indie feature from writer/director Paul Weitz, is the most recent film to deal with the timeless topic.
The film follows Elle Reid (played by Lily Tomlin) and her teenage granddaughter Sage (played by Julia Garner) as they struggle to find the money for Sage's abortion. This quest leads the two all across town, through Reid's past and back again, all because they can't go to Sage's mother, Judy, (played by Marcia Gay Harden) for fear of her wrath.
As far as films about abortion go, "Grandma" does little to justify the severity of its plot. It's established early on that the only reason Sage's abortion is so urgent is because she just can't stand the thought of being pregnant, and so she's made an appointment at a local clinic for later that same day. This means that all that frantic searching for money is all in the name of comfort. Sage could reschedule her appointment at any time, she just doesn't want to. Once this is realized, the entire abortion plot line is deflated.
This doesn't derail the film, however, because after viewing the whole movie, one realizes that the abortion is merely a MacGuffin, or simply a plot device used to move the story along that doesn't really have any value in and of itself. The film isn't really trying to say anything about abortion. Instead, it focuses on age.
As she takes her granddaughter from place to place, Reid is taken through a slide show of her past, visiting people she hasn't seen in years. Her character is a misanthropic lesbian who's easily angered by even the smallest of grievances, so naturally she's made plenty of enemies throughout her life. As she searches for a solution to Sage's problem, Reid meets with old flames, former friends and even recent girlfriends, each of which has a bone to pick with Reid for something she's done in the past.
One such visit is with Karl (played by Sam Elliott), Reid's ex-husband. As you could predict, this meeting leads to a heated argument about Reid's wrongdoings; a scene that ends up being the cornerstone of the whole film. Elliott provides an honest and heartbreaking performance that cuts right to the heart of the film's narrative, highlighting the fact that Reid is trapped in a wiser body, tormented by the reckless selfishness of her past and left to deal with the consequences.
Reid's personal crisis is brought home by Tomlin's immense talent, which is really the biggest thing this film has going for it. She gives a certain vivacity to the character that brings the whole movie to life. Reid's regrets, strife and experience are all worn in plain view, and even through the barrage of verbal abuse that she spouts at those who displease her, one can see the years of hardship the woman has endured.
However, in an ironic sort of way, Tomlin's excellent performance also hurts the film. Garner, a relatively new face in film at the age of 21, has yet to mature as an actress, so when sharing the screen with Tomlin, she withers along with the weight of her character's troubles. In comparison to Reid's dysfunctional life, Sage's pregnancy doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The film establishes that Reid has lived through much worse than what Sage is going through, which undermines Sage's whole function in the plot to begin with.
So even though Weitz' latest has less to say about the political climate than it initially implies, it's still a thorough exploration of age and what it means to live a life full of regrets. This may not be a revelation, as many films have tackled it before, but thanks to Tomlin's layered performance, "Grandma" has a definitive place amidst the ranks of its predecessors.
The film follows Elle Reid (played by Lily Tomlin) and her teenage granddaughter Sage (played by Julia Garner) as they struggle to find the money for Sage's abortion. This quest leads the two all across town, through Reid's past and back again, all because they can't go to Sage's mother, Judy, (played by Marcia Gay Harden) for fear of her wrath.
As far as films about abortion go, "Grandma" does little to justify the severity of its plot. It's established early on that the only reason Sage's abortion is so urgent is because she just can't stand the thought of being pregnant, and so she's made an appointment at a local clinic for later that same day. This means that all that frantic searching for money is all in the name of comfort. Sage could reschedule her appointment at any time, she just doesn't want to. Once this is realized, the entire abortion plot line is deflated.
This doesn't derail the film, however, because after viewing the whole movie, one realizes that the abortion is merely a MacGuffin, or simply a plot device used to move the story along that doesn't really have any value in and of itself. The film isn't really trying to say anything about abortion. Instead, it focuses on age.
As she takes her granddaughter from place to place, Reid is taken through a slide show of her past, visiting people she hasn't seen in years. Her character is a misanthropic lesbian who's easily angered by even the smallest of grievances, so naturally she's made plenty of enemies throughout her life. As she searches for a solution to Sage's problem, Reid meets with old flames, former friends and even recent girlfriends, each of which has a bone to pick with Reid for something she's done in the past.
One such visit is with Karl (played by Sam Elliott), Reid's ex-husband. As you could predict, this meeting leads to a heated argument about Reid's wrongdoings; a scene that ends up being the cornerstone of the whole film. Elliott provides an honest and heartbreaking performance that cuts right to the heart of the film's narrative, highlighting the fact that Reid is trapped in a wiser body, tormented by the reckless selfishness of her past and left to deal with the consequences.
Reid's personal crisis is brought home by Tomlin's immense talent, which is really the biggest thing this film has going for it. She gives a certain vivacity to the character that brings the whole movie to life. Reid's regrets, strife and experience are all worn in plain view, and even through the barrage of verbal abuse that she spouts at those who displease her, one can see the years of hardship the woman has endured.
However, in an ironic sort of way, Tomlin's excellent performance also hurts the film. Garner, a relatively new face in film at the age of 21, has yet to mature as an actress, so when sharing the screen with Tomlin, she withers along with the weight of her character's troubles. In comparison to Reid's dysfunctional life, Sage's pregnancy doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The film establishes that Reid has lived through much worse than what Sage is going through, which undermines Sage's whole function in the plot to begin with.
So even though Weitz' latest has less to say about the political climate than it initially implies, it's still a thorough exploration of age and what it means to live a life full of regrets. This may not be a revelation, as many films have tackled it before, but thanks to Tomlin's layered performance, "Grandma" has a definitive place amidst the ranks of its predecessors.