June Squibb has become the female Alan Arkin. She’s 95 years old, but onscreen she delivers her zingers with the crack timing of an old person whose perception of the world is ageless in its bombs-away, truth-telling joy. After years as a sneaky scene stealer, Squibb became a star in “Nebraska,” the 2013 Alexander Payne film that turned her combination of homespun grandmotherly demeanor and ruthless wit into a crowd-pleasing force. Last year, she had her first leading role, and now her perky moon face is front and center again in “Eleanor the Great,” the first film directed by Scarlett Johansson.

The movie is an awards-season wannabe in every sense. It totally plays up Squibb’s tart-tongued Arkin-adjacent antique brash aplomb. But in addition, it’s an attempt to tap into the poignant underside of a character who uses her wisecracks as weapons. Did I mention that it’s also a sentimental Holocaust weeper?...