Eleanor the Great (2025): An Uplifting and Moving Film

Keep telling stories to help find their light.

Eleanor the Great is a 2025 film. After a loss, 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein returns to New York City to live with her daughter. In a misunderstanding, Eleanor joins a Holocaust group where she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Nina, a 19-year-old journalist.

The fire alarm went off while I was watching Eleanor the Great at the movie theater. Thankfully, it was able to resume, because this is a heartwarming movie. Eleanor the Great radiates themes about authenticity, friendship, and the craft of journalism. It’s a film about telling stories and learning the right ways to keep them alive.

95-year-old June Squibb stars as Eleanor in her second leading role after Thelma (2024). Squibb has had a variety of supporting roles in her career, like Nebraska (2013), Other People (2016), and Sheldon’s grandmother in The Big Bang Theory.

Her performance as Eleanor is Oscar-worthy. Squibb puts all the sass, self-reflection, and emotional vulnerability into this role. Eleanor’s loneliness causes her to do wrong, but she is doing it for a good reason.

I have not seen Erin Kellyman (Nina) in any other films, and now she is on my watch list. Kellyman does an outstanding job in this role. This character reminded me of myself. Nina grieves a loss, and she discovers her passion for journalism.

The friendship between Eleanor and Nina is sweet. Reportedly, Kellyman and Squibb became ‘offset besties.’ They lived in the same apartment during the film’s 8-week shoot. The duo made their interactions feel real as they talked about their feelings and went clothes shopping together. It’s a positive example of age-gap friendships.

In her short appearance, Rita Zohar (Bessie) makes a tremendous impact with her character’s story. I looked up Zohar’s biography, and her background makes her character all the more authentic. Squibb and Zohar are a delight in their scenes, particularly in a deep conversation.

The supporting cast is talented. Credits include Jessica Hecht, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Price, Stephen Singer, and Elaine Bromka. There is not just one story in this movie.

Scarlett Johansson has shown her versatile talents in her acting career, and here she showcases another side of herself in the filmmaking industry. In her directorial debut, Johansson does a fantastic job of defining human emotions in every sequence. She spent most time with her cast and their characters, letting them guide their way.

Scriptwriter Tory Kamen began writing the script in 2016. The story is similar to Kamen’s own grandmother's, but only the part about her moving to New York. Kamen and Johannson collaborated with the Shoah Foundation to authenticate a genuine representation of the holocaust.

Eleanor the Great emphasizes themes of old age, friendship, and brings light to the holocaust. Grief is another relatable theme. Grief makes you feel difficult emotions and do things out of character. As Eleanor says, we need to talk about the things that make us sad. Eventually, we will find happiness and friendship again.

The film’s focus on journalism really spoke to me. My career as a journalist has grown in the last year. Journalists are doing more than getting the facts and asking questions. We’re keeping stories alive. That’s especially important for the holocaust. I have new respect for journalism, and I have never been prouder to be one.

Eleanor the Great is a funny, heartfelt, and optimistic film. The ending brought tears to my eyes. These are the films we need more of for their encouraging messages. It’s a beautiful story to witness while it's still in theaters.