Directed By Josh Margolin
Starring – June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree
The Plot – When 93-year-old Thelma Post (Squibb) gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson (Hechinger), she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
Rated PG-13 for strong adult language.
POSITIVES
Action stars come in all shapes and sizes, but in ‘Thelma’, through the eyes of an elderly woman, Margolin has constructed an infectiously rich and sentimental frolic through the adventurous side of life that is fully realized in the extent of his profound material. While the film is designated as an action comedy, I found the script to supplant an abundance of meaningful material, both in the never-ending obstacles that elderly people face that come across as routine to a youthful generation who grew up with technology, but also in the patronizing fashion to how they’re collectively viewed and treated by outsider demographics, inspiring an air of self-awareness to our own sociological actions that deserve improvement. Margolis clearly has a lot of respect and admiration for his older characters, as evidenced by the detailing he gives to each of them, with attention-shifting talking points and family-first dynamics that makes the titular protagonist such a warm and inviting personality in presence, but especially it’s her naivety in vulnerability to a think-fast society that not only sets the movements in motion within the constructs of the plot, but also inscribes an abundance of empathy to the character that transfers her hurt to us, when she ultimately comes to be manipulated. Similar to January’s ‘The Beekeeper’, where Jason Statham took revenge of the elderly in his own hands, so too does Thelma, after her mysterious scammers have humiliated her after she tries to help her family, and while the antagonists are a bit intentionally one-dimensional and bland by design, with the exception of a last minute surprise cameo, it doesn’t lessen the stakes or impact over the extent of her long-distance journey, with some clever conveniences casually littered throughout to point her in the right direction. Aside from the themes and storytelling, the film is quite subtly hilarious with the gags of the material that often sneak up on you, with Squibb’s dry deliveries among honest observations as the catalyst that continuously keeps dimensions within the tonal capacity light-hearted, even when the poignancy of the aforementioned material challenges it to shift on the side of sentimentality. For my money, the best parts of the movie are within this dynamic of clashing generations between grandmother and grandson, with such a refreshing element of protective admiration between them, but also an unabashedly honest humility that afforded them each of the freedom to keep the other person on their toes. Because the humor materializes so subtlety with nuanced psychology between the characters, it almost takes the audience a second to catch on to the sardonic and caustic variety that they’re continuously springing, sampling a slice of life consistency and authenticity that doesn’t feel obvious or heavily constructed, like most comedies do to me. ‘Thelma’ is also a film that has clearly done its homework with regards to action movie enveloping’s, with firmly meaningful production values that have seamlessly emulated the genre’s most distinguishable aspects. The shots, score and editing make this feel it’s cut from the same cloth as something like ‘John Wick’ or any Jason Statham film, but in ways that simultaneously cater to the quirkiness of the character’s personalities. For score, composer Nick Chuba garners deep tones and flute funneling to conjure an air of dread and tension to the proceedings, and likewise cinematographer David Bolen subscribes to the notion of Thelma being this inevitability of fate, with over-the-shoulder iconography and tight-knit framing that makes sure we capture all of the emotions that are continuously racing through the mind of our conflicted protagonist. In fact, I was quite surprised at the level of technique and panache that the film is frequently working with, keeping it from feeling like another by-the-numbers parody, and instead radiating itself with bountiful effort that the most hardcore action genre fan will feel right at home with. Lastly, it’s the decorated ensemble that perhaps takes home the most flowers in accolades, with the magnetic charms of Squibb, Hechinger, and Roundtree carrying so much of the meaningful material on their respective shoulders. Roundtree’s casting is a brilliant irony, based on his days as Blacksploitation icon, Shaft, but here often as the eyes and ears guiding Thelma through unforeseen obstacles, he gets to exert elements of intelligence and sensitivity that weren’t always linked to that previous generational role, and together the two brandish a lived-in side of chemistry to their designed life-long friendship that I simply couldn’t get enough, with Roundtree serving as the straight man of sorts to Squibb’s madness. Speaking of Squibb, she’s once again a natural treasure as the titular protagonist, combining resiliency and innocence in the mold of a woman who gets things done when she puts her mind to it. Squibb shows no signs of slowing down, with what is definitely one of the most physically dependent turns of her career, but it’s the earnestness of her various deliveries that outlines a familiarity to grandmother’s everywhere, with Squibb’s alluring smile being the coals that warms our hearts.
NEGATIVES
Margolin’s film does plenty right, but the elements of the script that it can’t quite capitalize on keep it from being a year’s best contender, with a few flaws removing some of the energy and enticement from the finished product. For starters, this is a film that is heavily marketed as an action film, with in actuality very little action to its engagement. This isn’t necessarily a big problem to its integral foundation, as the aforementioned charms of the ensemble, as well Margolin’s attention to production, help to enhance expectations, however I think it would be even more hilarious if the characters got lost in the craziness of its eccentric possibilities, with a full-fledged adventure that could’ve brought a dangerous factor to its prominence reinvigorating these characters in ways they haven’t experienced in some time. In addition, another issue I had with the film was its imbalanced focus between character arcs that, at least for the second act, had Squibb and Roundtree being dominated by a corresponding family arc that often repeats too many of the same beats. I’m all for fleshing out supporting characters in a film, especially if they’re granting balance to the integrity and maintained freshness of the central plot, but these characters are honestly a bit annoying and one-dimensional, so instead of inscribing a corresponding value to what’s transpiring on the other side of the film, it takes far too much of the focus from the finished run time, in turn straining the pacing into working overtime to stay afloat. This was my single biggest issue with the film, as the urgency of its mission didn’t reflect the sequencing of its structure, enabling a petering second act that just kind of meanders before shifting into the movie’s climax. It makes ‘Thelma’ feel like it has enough material and movements for an exceptional one hour short film, but too much padding in repetition towards ever reaching its 92 minute destination unharmed, resulting in an engagement that that might not have been necessarily boring, but one that occasionally did test my patience after vital discoveries should’ve maximized its potential.
OVERALL
‘Thelma’ might be advertised as a revenge action flick, but in reality, it’s a tender comedy, full of light-hearted observations about serious issues concerning senior citizens that gives audiences much to chew on. While its focus isn’t always in the right place, and its minimal action feels like false advertising, the film is another vehicle for the talents of June Squibb, with perfect timing and cadence to her various deliveries that, like any grandmother, warms your heart while tickling your funny bone, all on the scooter-driving, gun-firing road to vengeance that she feverishly travels.
My Grade: 7/10 or B
We just saw Thelma tonight and loved it! How often do you see a truly delightful movie that has you laughing out loud in the theater? ! While I agree with much of your review, especially the endearing relationships that evolve among its exceptional cast, I have a few comments/exceptions …
1) I didn’t feel it was heavily marketed as a major action film (at least not in the Denver, CO area), so we weren’t expecting anything near the nonstop action (and violence) of a Beekeeper or John Wick. We did see a couple of previews over the last month or so and expected it to be a lighthearted romp — so we were anctually impressed & surprised at the elevated level of fun. Rather than be disappointed, I felt the writer was making the point that when the level of adventure is adjusted to that of Thelma & Ben’s “usual” days and elderly abilities, the action/adventure, for them, is probably equal to what you’d see in a traditional action film! When you’re in your 90s, navigating the stairs, walking near a fire pit, or maneuvering through a store with a tipped-over lamp can become life-or-death endeavors! The obvious comparison — Mission Impossible (M.I.) — provides a crafty through-line from beginning to end of Thelma. Even the headline in the newspaper in the last scene ties into this theme, as well as confirms that Thelma & Ben have “still got it” — just like a certain M.I. star who still does all of his own stunts. It was fun picking up on the action movie allusions while the adventure developed along the way.
2) Where you felt imbalance between the “friend” and “family” storylines, I saw an intentional connection built between the oldest and youngest generations. Both Thelma and Danny are treated similarly by the middle generation (tracking devices, offers of help, etc.) and learn to advocate for themselves as they find their way, As Thelma tells Ben, “If you act like a baby, they’ll treat you like a baby.”
Perhaps it’s because we fall into that “middle generation,” but we found Thelma to be sweet, relatable, heartwarming fun. We give Thelma a rare “A!” And be sure to stay all the way through the end credits for two special tributes.
Haha! I want to see this film. Your review makes it sound like it’s worth seeing