Director: Josh Margolin
Writer: Josh Margolin
Stars: June Squibb, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey
Synopsis: When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
It’s only fitting that a film which includes the next greatest action star in cinema pays homage to the current greatest action star. That’s right, the baton Tom Cruise has gripped for decades is now being passed to an unquestionable star. She’s been nominated for an Academy Award, she’s had dozens upon dozens of film and television credits, and she’s 94 years old. I’m talking about June Squibb, who portrays the titular heroine of Josh Margolin’s Thelma. An ode to action films, and Mission: Impossible in particular, Thelma is a riotous time at the movies, and so much of that rests on Squibb’s shoulders!
Squibb takes on her first leading role with the charisma of any great movie star. Every word out of her mouth feels completely natural, and every mannerism of hers is something I’ve seen my grandma do countless times. This film is also inspired by events that occurred to Margolin’s grandma, a scam which surely has happened to countless other grandparents in the world. Thelma receives a call that her grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger), has been in a bad accident and must wire $10,000 to help him. In a whirlwind of confusion, Thelma unfortunately sends it off as she is unable to reach her daughter, Gail (Parker Posey) or son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg). Sadly, my grandma was also victimized by the same type of scam, only they said it was my uncle rather than me. I vividly remember the confusion on her face, and the incredulity of the situation. To think there are people who actively make a “living” via scamming anybody, let alone the elderly, is despicable. It’s in this anger that Thelma decides she is going to get her money back in person! So to see Thelma take action is not only fun and exciting, but cathartic.
It’s clear the Thelma team takes the action in their film as seriously as any Tom Cruise vehicle might. Imbued with a sense of genuine tension, Squibb’s mission involves everything you might see in the Mission: Impossible franchise. There’s gadgets, vehicle chases, a charismatic (and deeply stacked) cast, with a ticking clock tying it all together. But it’s important to note that what this film captures so wonderfully is the high stakes situations of everyday life. For Thelma, it’s something as simple as sneaking up her friend’s staircase. For her grandchild, daughter, and son-in-law, it’s making a speedy left turn against oncoming traffic. But with a smile on her face, Squibb shows the world she’s still got it! That’s not to say that Margolin exclusively makes an action movie. In fact, this film excels as a rumination on aging and pride just as much as it does as an action film. There’s also a third subplot that mostly seems to fade away as the two parallel ideas begin converging, but it serves its purpose well enough within the context of the plot.
During the course of her mission, Thelma has to reach out to an old friend for some help. Thelma makes it vocally known that she doesn’t enjoy the assistance. In this case, she prefers to take matters into her hands and her hands alone. She heads to an assisted living facility where Ben (the legendary Richard Roundtree, in his final role) has lived since the passing of his wife. The two have completely different views on what it means to be at their age, but they end up on the same dual-seated scooter nevertheless. Still, they often butt heads as to what the best approach is for certain situations.
As Ben and Thelma find themselves in predicaments that are only getting more dicey, Ben insists on calling Thelma’s family for help. As independent as ever, Thelma adamantly refuses. In maybe the most poignant scene of the film, Ben explains how he is not lesser than Thelma because he takes help where he can get it. He always greatly appreciated the help from his wife. When she passed, he then went to a place that could continue that help. For Thelma, that’s out of the question, and it’s not exclusively due to pride. It’s simply that she was the helper in her relationship. In this impactful exchange, Margolin reminds the audience that, while many elderly family members in our life may be stubborn, chances are they aren’t behaving so irrationally. It’s simply a matter of breaking habits that have formed over the course of a lifetime. So the solution cannot simply be to cast all the elderly into assisted living and call it a day. Instead, we must find a way to allow our elderly loved ones their independence, without making them feel as if they’re all used up or burdening anybody. And by the end of the film, Thelma proves herself more than capable and full of life. As she heads back home with her grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger), she observes gnarled trees along the street. She is awestruck by their resiliency, and utters two words that will make your heart soar. Squibb may be a top-notch action star, but she also delivers these poetic phrases with such believability. The reason being is simple. As an audience, we wholeheartedly believe that Squibb is as loving and caring and thoughtful as Thelma. Around midway through the film, Ben asks Thelma if they’re having one of their good days or one of their bad days. Thelma says that they’ll find out soon enough. By the end, it feels like it’s going to be remembered as one of the best days they’ve ever had. And the same can be said for the day that we walk out of this film, reminded of the beautiful resilience of the human spirit.
Thelma celebrated its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the Premieres section.
