For all the drama, the artsy Grandma (rated R for language and some drug use) is emotionally arid. It seems writer-director Paul Weitz, who made his directorial debut in 1999 with the raunchy American Pie, put his energy into setting up several not-entirely-inaccurate Christian and traditional-value straw men and knocking them down. But instead of getting defensive, Christian viewers should remember our Great Physician came for the sick, not the healthy.
Like a botched plastic surgery, the sexual revolution reshaped motherhood as a medical condition that can be chemically scheduled and surgically terminated. Now, after a couple of generational spins of the revolution, grandmothers’ roles in society have radically changed as well. But Grandma, a new pro-abortion, pro-LGBT film showing in limited release, cannot hide the chaos that marks lifestyles out of step with God’s design.
Septuagenarian Elle (Lily Tomlin), once a marginally well-known poet-professor, still mourns the loss of her longtime lesbian partner. But for the past four months, Elle has been in a relationship with Olivia (Judy Greer), a beautiful woman half her age. As the film opens in the early morning, they are quarreling and break up.
Just after Olivia leaves the house, Elle’s 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage (Julia Garner), arrives. She tells her grandmother she’s 10 weeks pregnant and has already made a 5:45 p.m. appointment at an abortion center across town. But she doesn’t have the $630 to pay for the abortion. Neither does Elle.
Subscribe to Free “Top 10 Stories” Email
Get the top 10 stories from The Aquila Report in your inbox every Tuesday morning.