Grandma: A breath of (witty) fresh air

Even though Grandma sometimes tries to act too clever for its own good, its flaws are compensated for by its wit.

Grandma is a wholesome American story of a young teenage girl who is pregnant and needs to get an abortion before sundown. Since her mother is not as understanding to this sensitive issue, she turns to her grandma (Lily Tomlin), a rebellious former hippie gay woman from the 70s. And together they embark on a journey to find cash for the abortion and quite possibly, uncovering some of the secrets from her past.

Grandma is short, sweet, funny and doesn’t waste too much time on exposition. It is also a comedy that does not make light of teen pregnancy. The film also creates comedic set pieces within various situations in the film without compensating on its intelligence.

You may remember Lily Tomlin from I ❤ Huckabees (2004), and here she is, absolutely fantastic as the lead role. Several supporting characters also give great performances but it is the brilliance of Sam Elliot who ends up stealing the show in the role of  her former lover.

Paul Weitz (writer/ director of the film) has probably the most varied filmography, ranging from the charming About A Boy (2002) to the downright terrible Little Fockers (2010). It is great to see him go back to his Indie filmmaking roots and write a short and witty script about a lesbian grandma and her pregnant teenage granddaughter.

Even though Grandma sometimes might try to act a little too clever for its own good; its flaws are overwhelmingly compensated for by its witty banter. And within all this barrage of ridiculous reboots/ remakes in Hollywood, Grandma breathes a much need fresh breath of Indie air into the mix.



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Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb