Between getting eviscerated by The Equalizer and pulverized by The Beekeeper, the 2020s have not been kind to cinema’s new favorite villain: the phishing scammer. A contemporary fusion of rich privileged asshole with techno-thriller baddie, they’re exceptionally easy to hate, making their face-to-face comeuppance for their distant digital misdeeds that much more satisfying. Josh Margolin’s Thelma understands those qualities well, delivering an endearing and crowd-pleasing comedic thriller with the ultimate underdog hero.
She may enjoy watching Ethan Hunt’s death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible films, but June Squibb’s eponymous nonagenarian, Thelma Post, is only an action hero in spirit and will. Tricked out of $10,000 by a ripped-from-the-headlines phone scam, this grandmother is driven to retrieve her money, even as friends and family get caught in her wake. It’s undeniable that Squibb is the heart and soul of the film. She’s warm, charming, ever determined, fiercely independent and sharp, especially in contrast to her loving but albeit frazzled daughter and grandson. She’s the last person any scammer wants on their tail, even more so when she teams up with Ben—Shaft’s Richard Roundtree in his final film role—to crisscross Los Angeles in search of her stolen money.
Margolin wears his love for action on his sleeve, constructing sequences of pursuit and suspense through the familiar visual language of the genre but cleverly modulated to fit the world of nursing homes, motorized scooters and 90-year-old walking speeds. For all its family and friendship drama, Thelma becomes genuinely gripping during its thriller sequences like a high-octane scooter escape or a climactic standoff involving an oxygen tank. Squibb imbues every low-key mundane action—racing over to UPS, avoiding family members on her tail, sneaking through an old friend’s house—with an infectious sense of adrenaline and derring-do.
But at its core, Thelma is an intimate family tale, and those dynamics underline every scene. Squibb and Roundtree team up and banter with the panache of ‘80s buddy heroes, yet their elderly regrets, limitations and fears are always at the foreground informing every action. The film becomes as much an encore for Roundtree as it is a showcase for Squibb’s talents. Similarly, the dynamic between Thelma and her grandson Danny—played with believable warmth and worry by Fred Hechinger—endears through raw vulnerable emotion. Thelma’s free-wheeling saga across the city equally becomes a test for Danny’s own struggles—his insecurities, sense of self and responsibility—until the two arcs interweave to coalesce with efficient satisfaction. Margolin’s finesse with set-up and pay-off makes the smallest low-key victories feel like grand battles won.
Crowdpleasingly entertaining for action and comedy fans alike, Thelma deftly juggles genre conventions with the strength and trials of its unconventional hero. Surrounded by a game cast and fun breezy direction, the film thrills as a Squibb spectacular, the veteran actress tackling every unorthodox thriller beat and warm dramatic moment with captivating intensity. Scammers beware; the one thing worse than Statham or Denzel on your tail is a determined Squibb.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The post Thelma appeared first on Spectrum Culture.