Michael's Movie Grade: A-
A very intelligent and moving dramedy.
In Scarlett Johanson's directorial debut, an elderly woman finds herself at a Holocaust survivors meeting (despite not being one) and before she knows it, she tells the story of a late friend's (who was a Holocaust survivor) story as if it happened to her. When a journalism student is visiting the meeting that day and wants to write an article about this story, things get very out of hand. A movie about someone lying about being a Holocaust survivor could easily come off as being in bad taste. However bad taste is one thing I could never accuse this movie of. Rather this film serves as an important reminder of why these stories need to be told and heard. The scenes in which we see our main character's friend talk to her about the Holocaust are incredibly moving a powerful as are the scenes where our main character feels guilt after claiming this story as her own. There were many scenes which moved me deeply emotionally, not all of them were pleasant to watch but they all made me appreciative that I did watch them. The key to emotional effectiveness of this movie comes from June Squibb in the main role. This 95-year-old actress has rarely received the appreciation she deserves as she is in fact an incredible actress who is equally adept at comedy and drama. She is able to make everything about this movie feel completely real and honest. Her chemistry with Erin Kellyman as the young journalism student is simply wonderful and the relationship between the two feels completely real and heartfelt. Along with the serious subject matter, this movie skillfully mixes in some great comedy. I was surprised at just how much I laughed at loud watching this film.
A must see.
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