Grandma

3/4

Starring: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden

Rated R for Language and Some Drug Use

When life throws you a terrible curveball, it's nice to have someone like Elle by your side.  She may be prickly, uncouth and a walking, talking liability in just about any social situation.  But when things get tough, she'll stick by you.

This is fortunate for young Sage (Garner).  While on summer break, she discovers that a tryst with her maybe-boyfriend has resulted in a bun in the oven.  Sage has decided that she cannot go through with the pregnancy, so she decides to have an abortion.  But for that to happen, she needs money (and support), so she turns to her grandmother Elle (Tomlin) for help (going to her mother is out of the question).  Thus begins a day long odyssey for Elle and Sage as they try to procure the $630 needed for the procedure.

The beauty of "Grandma" is that it remains grounded.  No one is too quirky and nothing that happens in this movie is ever outlandish.  It simply observes two women trying to get one thing done.  It is also apolitical.  For a movie about a topic as sensitive and emotionally charged as abortion, writer/director Paul Weitz steers clear of any sort of position about abortion.  This is a good thing because it's well outside the film's focus.  The subject of the film is the characters, not abortion.  Weitz wisely leave other films to tackle that heavy material.

"Grandma" is about two people: the bitter and acerbic Elle and the naive Sage.  Of course they meet other people on their journey, but this is about them.  The actresses do terrific jobs.  Tomlin frequently plays feisty, sarcastic women, and Elle is another one to her roster.  But Tomlin finds the heart of Elle, which makes her more than a fountain of snide remarks.  Julia Garner, an actress who would later become famous for her role in "Ozark," is also quite good as a wallflower who learns to stand up for herself and decide who she is.  The two have solid, if unspectacular, chemistry together.  The supporting cast is also good, not to mention varied.  Respected character actors like Judy Greer, John Cho, Laverne Cox and Sam Elliott make appearances.  Marcia Gay Harden also plays an important role as Sage's mother Judy, whose Type-A personality is so intense that it intimidates both Sage and Elle.

This is a departure for Paul Weitz, who burst onto the scene in 1999 as one of the twisted minds behind "American Pie."  But he also made "About a Boy" (which I barely remember) and "In Good Company" (which I've never seen).  Anyone expecting something as ribald and silly as the movie featuring the pie is going to be confused.  "Grandma" is funny, but the humor is more brittle and low-key.  There are plenty of laugh-aloud moments (most of which come from Elle's decidedly un-PC behavior), but there's a sense that we don't know whether to laugh or feel awkward.  It's a tricky line to navigate, but Weitz handles it like a pro.

"Grandma" stays within its comfort zone.  It doesn't try to do too much, say too much or get too quirky.  And it's resolutely apolitical (it mentions the psychological and emotional toll of abortion, but doesn't dwell on it).  It's content to be a small story about two likable people trying to do something.  It doesn't overstay its welcome.  It is what it is.  And that's what makes it work.