Grandma - B

Rated R, 80 minutes

Julia Garner and Lily Tomlin

Before you go see the affecting, superbly acted dramedy "Grandma," put aside any personal beliefs you may have about homosexuality or abortion. Starring the charming, veteran comedienne Lily Tomlin in a role that's probably a tad closer to some of the other things she's played, it may have some different yet complex sensibilities but has its heart in the right place. Elle (Tomlin) is a mature lesbian poet who has just broke up with her younger girlfriend (Judy Greer) when Elle's granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 bucks before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash as their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets. Directed and written by Paul Weitz of "American Pie" and "About a Boy" fame, "Grandma" is a quick, funny and very moving tale of family loyalty and owning up to any past mistakes and choices you've made, and it has an engaging heart and soul missing in many movies today. In fact, "Grandma" is so quick, you wish it would go on longer, and one of its few drawbacks is it doesn't fully explore many, many issues it raises, and leaves many more implied, but what is there is quite good. Tomlin ably graces the screen in a humorous, bittersweet performance that will have you laughing and crying, and the memorable car she and her granddaughter, played believably by Julia Garner ("Perks of Being a Wallflower"), a 1955 Royal, is actually owned by Tomlin. Tomlin's Elle is quite the tough cookie too: she kicks tail and takes names, drips coffee in the coffeehouse, gets punched by a young girl outside an abortion clinic, all the while helping her granddaughter do the right thing. Sam Elliott also makes a brief appearance in the film's most serious and moving episode, about a former husband she abandoned, as does Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden as her equally difficult daughter. The entertaining, episodic "Grandma" ends too quickly and too predictably and there could've easily been much more, but it's still a satisfying look. It's not for everyone, but it's certainly worth a look for the always engaging Tomlin, who's quite the tart here.