A lovely little slice-of-life comedy - it's just a slice, but it'll give you all the life you need. There's nothing creatively nor formally revolutionary about Grandma, but what it lacks in skill and innovation is of scant consequence, since this is a triumph of good judgement. Grandma is perfectly conceived and executed, a true match in tone and content and an evidently delightful experience for its cast, which brims over with talented actors putting in fine work. It sounds quaint and classic, which it thoroughly is not - buckle up or fuck off, conservatives, because this is an unabashedly liberal, profane piece of work with an agenda to push. Wisely, Grandma doesn't push it too hard; even more wisely, it understands the ideal manner in which to frame it, making it less of an agenda and more of a necessity. This rambling race against time is a microcosm of the real world, just a slice of it. Hooray for Lily Tomlin! She lives each character as though their life was her own, bringing an unforced naturalism and affable idiosyncrasy to each role; if she's only as good as the part (though never any worse), what luck that Grandma is one of her very best. A supporting cast includes Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden and Judy Greer - lovely work from all the ladies (and all the gentlemen) in a film that's about women, and about the fact that it's about women. And yet it's 100% real, a genuine slice of real life. Who'd ever have thought it? Not Hollywood!
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