We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Grandma

There are few great comediennes of the 1960’s and 1970’s still working in cinema today. One of them is Lily Tomlin, the smart, irreverent star of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Nashville, 9 to 5, All of Me and countless other films. She’s been so consistently working and so consistently praised that it’s hard to remember that apart from her 22 Emmy nominations and six Emmy awards that she only has one Oscar nomination and it was Nashville forty years ago.

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Grandma is the story of a self-possessed grandmother who must confront her 18-year-old daughter’s pregnancy and the daughter’s desire to obtain an abortion even though her demanding mother refuses to help her. Will the two help each other come to terms with the decision or will new choices be made. It’s a coming of age story for the youngster and a emergence from misanthropy for the grandmother.

Tomlin plays the titular Grandma in the film and has earned consistent praise since the film’s debut. She has been in the conversation for Oscar consideration for months now and that talk still hasn’t abated. The Golden Globes will surely recognize her, but the Academy’s young-skewing Best Actress field will be overflowing with candidates, which could give the octogenarian some trouble while competing. However, there are few more beloved actresses working in Hollywood than Tomlin, which could give her a boost with fans of her work.