Grandma

Name: Grandma
Genre: Comedy
Released: August 21, 2015
Duration: 79 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Elizabeth Peña, Judy Greer, Julia Garner, Laverne Cox, Lily Tomlin

2015

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 66 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 66 Ratings

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Grandma

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: August 21, 2015 | R

Starring: Elizabeth Peña, Judy Greer, Julia Garner, Laverne Cox, Lily Tomlin, Marcia Gay Harden, Nat Wolff

Summary: Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin) has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend when Elle's granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 bucks before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash as their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletonsElle Reid (Lily Tomlin) has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend when Elle's granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 bucks before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash as their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets. [Sony Pictures Classics]… Expand

Director: Paul Weitz

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 79 min

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Critic Reviews

100

David Lewis

Aug 26, 2015

Lily Tomlin has been one of our best comedic actresses for the past 50 years, and she’s at the height of her powers in the beautifully observed dramedy Grandma. Her performance is funny, acerbic, touching — and ultimately, exhilarating. Read full review

Marc Mohan

Sep 18, 2015

Grandma is a movie that, for what it's worth, gets an A+ on the Bechdel test. Writer-director Paul Weitz may still be cashing residual checks for the "American Pie" movies, but this is his most heartfelt, successful effort since 2002's "About a Boy." Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Sep 9, 2015

Weitz (About a Boy) is a sharp observer, and Tomlin and the rest of the cast are so superlative that any anxiety is quickly quelled. You’re happy to follow this movie over the river and through the woods. Read full review

Peter Travers

Aug 19, 2015

Lily Tomlin works miracles. She's comedy royalty whose best films (Nashville, The Late Show, All of Me, I Heart Huckabees) always cut deeper than a smile. But no Oscar. Maybe Grandma will do the trick. It's a Tomlin tour de force. Read full review

Ty Burr

Sep 3, 2015

It’s predictable in many places and acerbic in others, sentimental when you expect it and poignant when you don’t. But it stars Lily Tomlin, and that’s all you really need to know. Read full review

Scott Foundas

Jun 11, 2015

Though likely to be variously praised and pilloried as a pro-choice film, Weitz’s film is really a movie about choice in both the specific and the abstract — about the choices we make, for good and for ill, and how we come to feel about them through the prism of time. Read full review

R. Kurt Osenlund

Aug 19, 2015

Writer-director Paul Weitz's proudly boisterous star vehicle for Lily Tomlin has about as many ambitions as it does delusions. Read full review

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User Reviews

LamontRaymond

Aug 23, 2015

Quite possibly the best movie I've seen this year. What an incredibly sensitive and accurate portrayal of so many issues surrounding abortion. Sam Eliot's role is incredibly well conceived and acted. Lily Tomlin is amazing. And the writing & directing are both superb. Highly recommended.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

GreatMartin

Sep 11, 2015

“Grandma” is a movie for every woman, grandmother, mother, daughter, any man who has been involved with the aforementioned, and definitely any fan of Lily Tomlin. She has been a force of nature from her early days in “Laugh-In” from 1970-1973 to winning a Grammy for her comedy album in 1972“Grandma” is a movie for every woman, grandmother, mother, daughter, any man who has been involved with the aforementioned, and definitely any fan of Lily Tomlin. She has been a force of nature from her early days in “Laugh-In” from 1970-1973 to winning a Grammy for her comedy album in 1972 to an Oscar nomination for her film debut in 1974 in “Nashville” and winning a Tony Award in 1985 for the brilliant one woman show her partner of 42 years, Jane Wagner, wrote for her “The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe” up to and including a 2015 Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a TV comedy for “Grace and Frankie”. If there is any justice in the movie business Tomlin should have an Oscar nomination for her role in “Grandma”.

Though her role of Elle is a tour de force for Lily Tomlin she has a strong supporting cast especially Sam Elliot in a scene that is the highlight of the film. Judy Greer, her girlfriend of 4 months, “Just a footnote”, Elle tells her breaking up with her, Julia Garner as Sage , Elle’s granddaughter, Marcia Gay Harden as Elle’s daughter, and Sage’s boyfriend, Nat Wolff, who is responsible for Sage’s pregnancy which puts the story into motion. Laverne Cox as a tattoo artist friend of Elle’s, Elizabeth Pena as the owner of a small book store not to forget John Cho as the owner of a coffee shop all have what are basically cameos but each impresses as being chosen for their scenes by the director and screenwriter, Paul Weitz, who wanted the best from each actor and got it.

Is Lily Tomlin Elle or is Elle Lily Tomlin? From the public persona of the entertainer we all know, it is hard to decipher if they are separate or combined into one. We see Tomlin’s highly skilled comic talents and in her scene with Sam Elliot plus an earlier scene where she grieves for her lover of 38 years, who died a year and a half before the movie starts, we feel the emotional range she can and does show as an actress or is it Lily Tomlin, the woman we think we know?

“Grandma” is a short film, about 80 minutes including the end credits, that shows Lily Tomlin as an actress who can turn on a dime going from sarcasm to laugh out loud jokes to putting a tear in our eye with, seemingly, little effort. It touches on pregnancy, abortion, independent women, loneliness, growing/being old and what that entails, fleeting fame, how we can hurt people unknowingly, how we hurt each other mostly in short but effective scenes. One scene alone with Elle taking a shower, brushing her teeth, is more than worth the price of admission.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

whitewind

Sep 25, 2015

Lily Tomlin is terrific as the grandmother of Sage, who comes to her with a problem which she is unable to broach with her mother. "Grandma", in her own inimitable style, goes out of her way to help Sage out in the face of many trials which make up the core of the movie. Lily Tomlin is justLily Tomlin is terrific as the grandmother of Sage, who comes to her with a problem which she is unable to broach with her mother. "Grandma", in her own inimitable style, goes out of her way to help Sage out in the face of many trials which make up the core of the movie. Lily Tomlin is just wonderful in her assertive passion to help. This is a movie not to be missed.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Sep 7, 2017

Grandma lasts only 78 minutes, but there is a good balance between during the whole movie, the rest is not much but exemplifies the general message of the whole film, and that message is simple, the decisions and the choices we make for better or worse and how they will charge us over time.Grandma lasts only 78 minutes, but there is a good balance between during the whole movie, the rest is not much but exemplifies the general message of the whole film, and that message is simple, the decisions and the choices we make for better or worse and how they will charge us over time.

Simple and practical, but with a message well done and well delineated, of course I recommend it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sanyrub

Apr 9, 2016

Short but very entertaining and sharp film with great actors in it. The grandmother: legend! The story may be controversial for some judgemental religious people but 90% of the world will enjoy it. Totally recommendable.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RickBell

Jun 8, 2016

It was OK but not exceptional. Lily Tomlin gives an uneven and sometimes engaging performance and mixes a lot of elderly rage that is both amusing and uncomfortable watching. The emotions and storyline don't ring as authentic too many times. Gimmicky at times -- an old woman physicallyIt was OK but not exceptional. Lily Tomlin gives an uneven and sometimes engaging performance and mixes a lot of elderly rage that is both amusing and uncomfortable watching. The emotions and storyline don't ring as authentic too many times. Gimmicky at times -- an old woman physically assaulting a young punk or a child punching an old woman. Vanity casting where Tomlin's lesbian lover is in her late twenties and she is around 70 which isn't very believable given her extremely unpleasant demeanor and wilting bitterness without any readily evident redeeming qualities. I realize that Tomlin is an icon and we are required as is tradition to take every opportunity to heap praise on her before she goes, but this movie could have been much better.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

rachelauer

Sep 27, 2015

Despite its potential, this movie was fairly disappointing. The central plot was underwhelming, as were the supporting vignettes, and the characters were predictable and bland.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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