At the current age of 76, Tomlin is still as active and robust as before, and the small independent film “Grandma” (2015) gives her a character she was born to play. While starting with a seemingly predictable premise, the movie works as a unique character drama packed with details and nuances to observe, and Tomlin is fabulous in her vibrant performance as effortlessly playing between humor, honesty, and humanity.
Tomlin plays Elle, an aging lesbian poet who has been recently unemployed. During the opening scene set in one early morning, we learn that she has been in the relationship with a much younger woman for four months, but now she decides to break up with Olivia (Judy Greer) because, as Olivia complains during their argument, their relationship seems to be going nowhere. Olivia clearly feels hurt by this, but Elle remains unmoved with her curt decision, which turns out to be pretty hard for herself.
Not long after this hurtful separation, Elle receives an unexpected visit from her teenage granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner), who needs financial help. After getting pregnant by her boyfriend, Sage decides to have an abortion, but needs $630 for her reserved operation at a clinic during late afternoon. The last person Sage wants to know about this is her mother Judy (Marcia Gay Harden).
Unfortunately, Elle is nearly broke after paying all the hospital bills for the medical treatments of her dead spouse Violet, who passed away about two years ago after more than 35 years of life with Elle. Furthermore, she does not have any available credit cards because she impulsively got rid of them to be financially free, nor are there many people around her who can immediately lend her $630.
As Elle drives her old Dodge Royal car around the town for any chance to solve her granddaughter’s problem, she and Sage encounter a number of different people, each individual moment mirroring Elle’s compelling life and personality. Acerbic, brash, and forthright, she is a force to be reckoned with to say the least, and she surely gives Sage’s boyfriend one hell of lesson when he is insolent to her and her granddaughter during their impromptu visit.
As we are amused by this and other humorous scenes, more serious moments in the film acclimate us to Elle’s personal history. At a local tattoo shop run by her transgender friend Deathy (Laverne Cox), we learn a bit about Elle’s relationship with Violet, and we cannot help but wonder about how Elle and Violet maintained their relationship for many years in spite of Elle’s abrasive personality. I guess Violet must have been an exceptional woman with her own personality to match Elle’s, though she is only glimpsed through a couple of brief shots showing her old photos.
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