By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
An action comedy featuring a 93-year-old grandma may not be the box office smash hit of the summer, but it should be. “Thelma” proves age is just a number, and that quality filmmaking can defy the odds to create a highly satisfying, highly entertaining motion picture. Loaded with hilarious comedy and a terrific performance from a veteran actress, this is a surprise must-see for all ages.
Living alone at age 93 is no easy task, especially for Thelma (June Squibb), who has a litany of various ailments requiring enough daily medication to put a pharmacist on her payroll. After her husband passed away two years ago, her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger) has been checking in on her from time to time. Her monotonous daily routine is broken up when she falls prey to a phone scammer pretending to be Daniel that leaves her $10,000 poorer.
Facing the grim reality of her situation and the possibility of needing daily supervision, Thelma, recently inspired by watching Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible,” musters up an unwavering determination to hit the streets on her own and get her money back. Unable to drive, Thelma procures a scooter from an old friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree), who joins her in this inadvisable excursion. With her daughter, Gail (Parker Posey), Gail’s husband, Alan (Clark Gregg), and Daniel frantically searching for the missing Thelma, the slow-moving duo must stay ahead of the search party to complete this dangerous and improbable quest.
After decades of supporting roles, June Squibb finally gets her first shot at being a leading lady at age 94, and she delivers a performance to remember. The Oscar nominated actress for a supporting role in 2013’s “Nebraska” is truly magnificent as the ordinary grandma undertaking an extraordinary adventure. Her natural line delivery and genuine facial expressions elicit many laugh-out-loud moments as well as heartfelt appeal. She even does most of her own stunts. Don’t be surprised to see her name among the five leading actress nominees for next year’s Oscars.
The supporting cast surrounding June is also well-rounded and talented. This is Richard Roundtree’s (the original “Shaft”) final film before he passed away in October of 2023 at the age of 81. As always, his cool and calm demeanor helps to stabilize the film and ground the main character, while also propping her up when she needs it most. Parker Posey, the queen of independent films herself, is hysterically relatable as the overprotective daughter, who panics at the thought of her mother hoofing it by herself in Los Angeles. Also noteworthy is Fred Hechinger, who exhibits likeability as the nice grandson with low self-esteem, beating himself up for losing track of his grandma in the first place. This is a talented young actor on the rise, whose opportunities will only grow if he continues to demonstrate an ability to develop his characters with thoughtful backstories.
This is the directorial debut for Josh Margolin, who also wrote the screenplay, and what a successful debut it is. Similar to last year’s “Jules,” Margolin explores aging and its limitations while acknowledging family members’ views on the elderly, and crafts a wonderfully fun action comedy. He successfully creates scenes that turn seemingly mundane physical tasks into comically dangerous action moments such as when the main character must climb on a bed to reach and steal a friend’s gun or having to make her way through a cluttered store, side stepping obstacles in her path. This ends up having the same impact on the audience as if they were stunt heavy action scenes, making it even funnier.
For Margolin, this is actually a personal project, basing the main character on his very own grandmother getting phone scammed. Having that personal experience allows him to manufacture those real-life based comical situations that feel so true to the audience while incorporating very tender, very heartwarming messaging.
Who knew cheering for grandma to get her revenge could be so much fun? Sure, “Thelma” is not the typical summer blockbuster, but it is far superior to most other films out right now. With a memorable performance that could yield a date with Oscar, do not miss the opportunity to see June Squibb and this movie. You will have a great time with plenty of laughs regardless of how old you are.
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