Today on our podcast, legendary actress and comedian Lily Tomlin joins writer-director Paul Weitz to discuss their new comedy, Grandma, which is now in theaters. The live conversation was a part of our ongoing Free Talks series, sponsored by HBO®. To hear more discussions like this one, subscribe to The Close-Up on iTunes and, if you like what you hear, leave us a review!
Paul Weitz broke through with his 1999 comedy, American Pie, and since then, he has enjoyed continued success writing, directing, and producing big Hollywood comedies like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, About a Boy, and Admission. With Grandma, Weitz makes a surprising detour into low-budget DIY filmmaking, and he seems to have had no problems adjusting to the smaller scale.
Grandma is an intimate character study of an acid-tongued poet. It’s a role that was clearly tailor-made for Tomlin, and critics have been effusive in their praise of her performance. David Rooney writes in The Hollywood Reporter: “Everything in the movie revolves around the irreplaceable Tomlin, and rightly so. Her entire history as an actor, a comedian, a feminist and a pioneering voice for LGBT rights comes into play in this formfitting role. Anybody who loves her . . . won’t want to miss this.”
In front of a packed house in our Amphitheater, Lily Tomlin and Paul Weitz discussed their collaborative process, strong female characters, and balancing comedy and drama. The evening was moderated by the Film Society’s Deputy Director Eugene Hernandez.
