Eleanor the Great is fine, but it could be a lot better. As actor June Squibb rides her career high after her leading turn in last year’s Thelma and Scarlett Johansson approaches her first chance to direct a feature film, the audience expects more than an easy crowd-pleaser; pitched to the over-50 crowd like an underhanded softball.

Squibb plays the titular senior, who gets a kick out of playfully humiliating people to entertain her loyal aged friend Bessie (Rita Zohar). Everything in Eleanor’s life is going well until Bessie suddenly passes away. Encouraged by her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) to channel her grief towards other activities, Eleanor confides in a support group for Holocaust survivors. Her admission to the group happens by accident, but Eleanor never corrects the blunder. Instead, to commemorate and mourn her loved one, Eleanor tells Bessie’s personal stories as if they were her own; which catches the attention of an aspiring journalist (Erin Kellyman) who admires Eleanor’s bravery.

Squibb could play this role in her sleep. That’s not to discount how she presents herself as an actor, but there’s a reason why filmmakers keep returning to her to portray strong and outspoken, older characters. However, first-time screenwriter Tory Kamen has composed Eleanor with kinks rather than conflicts. Eleanor’s sense of humour is curated to please her friend but, considering how she speaks to Lisa, her personality isn’t specific enough. She scoffs at the idea of embracing social circles, but decides to fool vulnerable people with trauma. Is this a ruse that’s only supposed to entertain Eleanor? Eventually, we figure out that this isn’t a mean-spirited prank but a chance for Eleanor to cope, and her panicking is real as she realizes that she’s carried on the charade for too long. But, Eleanor is smart and stubborn enough to end the fabrications at any time – she just chooses not to. The audience understands that, while watching a movie, they’ll need to suspend their disbelief to an extent, but Eleanor the Great really pushes these limits.

Other than portraying Bessie’s stories through flashbacks as people listen to Eleanor off-screen, Johansson does the bare minimum for her directorial debut. After last seeing her be directed by a fellow co-star in My Mother’s Wedding (but unaware of which movie was conceived first), I was excited to see if Johansson was going to also embrace being an “actor’s director” as well. There’s no ambition like that in Eleanor the Great though. Just kernals of potential that she can steer a ship efficiently. Marvel likes to seek out indie filmmakers. Maybe that’s how they’ll reign the former superhero back into the fold.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie