Equal parts funny and heartfelt, Thelma is a treat.
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It's an evergreen statement that there are not a lot of movies about getting old and aging. Sure there are movies where aging is incorporated into the plot (hell Skyfall does this) and a number of older actors are still putting in good work, but when it comes to feature films all about the foibles of aging, not so much. And the majority of the film's that do exist can be rough to watch. As good as the acting and premise of 2020's The Father is, it is not a fun watch for the viewer, in any regard. Which is why Thelma, a comedy where our protagonist is a 94 year old woman on a revenge mission, caught my eye.
The Setup
June Squibb stars as the titular Thelma, a 94 year old woman who is scammed out of a significant amount of money. But while her family is concerned for her safety and well-being, Thelma is hellbent on finding the scammer and getting her money back...
I can't say enough good things about this movie. The fact that it got made is wonderful. The marketing which featured June Squibb taking about how she was going to beat up Glen Powell last year. And the movie itself manages to speak to everyone involved in this situation with empathy without being condescending.
So let's dig into why this movie works as well as it does.
Teasing the Optics vs. The Character
One of the biggest worries about having an "old lady revenge comedy" is that the movie will make said old lady the butt of the joke. Like her wanting to do this in the first place is stupid/silly so we'll use that as the butt of the joke.
Thankfully Thelma is a lot smarter than that. Instead the movie is teasing the optics of Thelma's investigation and crusade by pumping in 70s era spy and crime movie music while Thelma and her friend Ben traverse around down on a scooter or Thelma sneaks around her friend's house like it's a bank vault. It's the juxtaposition of what's happening on screen versus how the movie is treating it.
But that's also in Thelma's mindset. This is like a heist movie for her considering her age and physical limitations, so let's treat it like one. It means you get a lot of scenes that are equal parts funny and satisfying like Thelma breaking out of an assisted living facility.
Empathy All Around
Another thing that concerns me about movies featuring old people isn't that the movie thinks the old people are incapable or talks down to them, but that characters in the movie will.
Again, not in this one.
Thelma's family including her very sweet grandson are all very nice to her and speak to her out of concern, but never talk down to her. Aka when he finds out that she left her assisted living place and he comes to pick her up, her grandson says to ask him for help next time because he's concerned and wants her to be safe, not because she shouldn't want to do that.
Everyone in this movie, minus the scammers, have good intentions and try their very best to communicate them as best they can, whether it's the grandson Danny being comforted by his parents despite clear evidence that he's in a "failure to launch" state or Thelma telling a young man that he can pick a better path.
Everyone in this movie, minus the scammers, have good intentions and try their very best to communicate them as best they can, whether it's the grandson Danny being comforted by his parents despite clear evidence that he's in a "failure to launch" state or Thelma telling a young man that he can pick a better path.
A Balanced Perspective Towards Aging
Maybe the movie's smartest addition is pairing up Thelma with her friend Ben, played by the late Richard Roundtree (which as a movie buff this is a great nod to his portrayal of Shaft). Thelma and Ben provide two very different perspectives when it comes to aging and assistance. Ben sees a lot of value in assistance and appears to enjoy living at the facility. He's also very aware of his physical limitations and wants Thelma to at least acknowledge hers and also how her actions impact the people around her.
And he's the perfect person to deliver this because he's experiencing the same physical declines she is, while still being mentally clear. It's a peer telling her there's limits to what she can do, not her 20-something grandson.
Whereas, Thelma clearly values her independence and doesn't want to be taken care of, she wants to live her life. And if she was living her life normally, she'd be trying to get to the bottom of this scam that the police aren't helping with so...here we go. This combined with the audience seeing Thelma go about her day to day activities with ease, also eliminates the "but what if she's too frail" conversation.
There's no "right" answer here. It's about what's right for the individual person. The key question is "is this what they want?" It's about autonomy.
The Verdict: A Delight
Equal parts funny and heartfelt, Thelma is a treat. 9/10
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