Lily Tomlin hits the open road in ‘Grandma’

It’s not quite a tsunami yet, but amid a relentless roster of sequels and superheroes, a number of recent films are finally reflecting a graying population that movies have so consistently ignored for too long.

From Robert Redford and Nick Nolte showing that age is not a barrier in “A Walk in the Woods” to Blythe Danner as a retired school teacher who finds love later in life in “I’ll See You in My Dreams” to Patricia Clarkson as an abandoned middle-aged New York housewife who gets life lessons from Sir Ben Kingsley in “Learning to Drive.”

“There is a whole generation that is not being reflected on the screen,” says writer-director Paul Weitz, whose new film “Grandma” stars Lily Tomlin as a aging and cantankerous lesbian feminist poet who lives life by her own rules.

Weitz first met the comedy icon when he made the 2013 film “Admission” with Tina Fey. Tomlin played Fey’s sharp-tongued mother. “When I worked with Lily on ‘Admission’ I didn’t know her that well, but her intelligence really rang through,” says Weitz, whose career resume is an eclectic roster of films, including “American Pie,” “Antz,” “About a Boy” and “In Good Company.” “It made me want to make another movie with her and a character that would have an impact on a much younger woman in the story.”

Of Tomlin’s return to the big screen in a lead role, he says, “I wrote the script hearing Lily’s voice and then I asked her to lunch and told her I had written the script for her. I’m not sure if she found that intimidating, but she agreed to do it,” says Weitz.

“I guess it is a bit like me,” the 75-year-old actress says with a laugh about her character, Elle Reid. “I do harangue and carry on a bit.”

“I have never really done a small independent film like this and it was a great experience,” she continues. “It’s not just older people enjoying it, but also I am getting such a warm response from younger people as well.”

In the film, her character Elle Reid has just been through a break-up and in an act of rebellion decides to dice up all her credit cards. It’s a convenient plot device, which puts her in a situation when her young granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) asks her for money so she can get an abortion. The two embark on a road trip in Reid’s old car to find the money she needs. It becomes a walk into Reid’s emotional and turbulent past as she encounters past family and lovers.

“Elle is irrepressible and short-fused and she just calls it like it is and wants her granddaughter to stand up for herself and be steely,” says Tomlin. “She is anything but what you would call a conventional grandma.”

One of the key scenes is when Elle meets her past lover Karl, in a highly charged scene featuring a memorable performance by Sam Elliott. “The scene between Elle and Karl is almost a mini movie within a movie,” says Weitz. “I just knew Sam would kill it. These are two actors who are at the top of their game.”

Tomlin describes Elliott as “just stellar,” and adds, “when I tell women that Sam plays my ex-husband, they go crazy.”

“Well, I guess I am a pretty old sex symbol these days,” Elliott says with a laugh. The 71-year-old actor, who has mostly been typecast as a cowboy throughout his 47-year career, seems to be enjoying a career resurgence. He is not only winning rave reviews for his poignant portrayal in “Grandma” but also roles in two other independent films: “I’ll See You in My Dreams” and “Digging for Fire,” plus key TV roles in “Justified” and an upcoming Netflix series,” The Ranch,” with Ashton Kutcher.

“It’s just good fortune,” says the low-key actor, known for roles in “Tombstone,” “The Big Lebowski” and “The Golden Compass.” “I love being part of something special that speaks to an older generation. I have always found it a very strange thing — Hollywood has had this proclivity for bringing in the new when the old are so full of advice and so full of positive information that they might impart to the audience.”

With successful movies like “Grandma,” Hollywood may just start to listen.

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KATHERINE TULICH writes about film and culture for Marquee.