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In Theaters Now
- 2024
- PG-13
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 2024
- PG-13
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Summary When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) 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.
Directed By: Josh Margolin
Written By: Josh Margolin
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- PG-13
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 2024
- PG-13
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Thelma
77
7.2
Where to Watch
Summary When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) 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.
Directed By: Josh Margolin
Written By: Josh Margolin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
77
88% Positive
37 Reviews
37 Reviews
12% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
77
88% Positive
37 Reviews
37 Reviews
12% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Thelma is about the indomitable human urge to keep going and the hard-won wisdom to know when to heed time’s warnings. It’s a movie that rages against the dying of the light — at 30 mph.
This is a feel-good comedy bordering on farce, but [Squibb] makes every scene and every line so natural that when you laugh, you’re reacting to genuine humor, not calculatedly constructed punch lines.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 38 User Ratings
7.2
74% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
16% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
11% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 38 User Ratings
7.2
74% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
16% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
11% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
IN A NUTSHELL:
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.
This delightful film was directed and written by Josh Margolin. The story is based on Josh’s real grandmother!
Keep good ones like this coming, my friend! Already, it has won 5 awards from several film festivals. Well deserved!
THINGS I LIKED:
June Squib is absolutely terrific in this. June is 94 years old in real life and is doing great! I love that she’s still making movies and definitely seems to be having a blast. It would be so cool to watch her get nominated and even win an Oscar at her age! She had done a lot of stage work but really didn’t get into film until age 60! This is her first leading role and she crushes it! What a career she’s having!
The rest of the cast is also really great and includes Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and Clark Gregg. Sadly, Richard Rountree died last year from cancer. He was only 81. The older I get, the younger that sounds!
Every scene is so doggone funny and adorable.
The humor is spoken, visual, and often physical. I was completely charmed during the entire movie.
While the movie is extremely funny, it also includes very touching and insightful moments about aging and family dynamics.
The musical score is a lot of fun.
I adore the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movies, so I loved the shout-out, as well as June Squibb’s character’s attempt to have an impossible mission, herself, including a very slow “chase scene” with scooter chairs.
All of the “action” is definitely age appropriate and believable.
It was nice to hear Richard Roundtree’s character describe his nursing home in such positive terms. It was great that he was taking advantage of all the activities his nursing home offered, including instructions on how to help someone up who has fallen down. I remember the day when my mother could no longer get herself up when she fell out of her bed. Moving elderly parents into a nursing home is such a difficult decision to make.
With so many Baby Boomers getting older, I hope we’ll see more charming movies like this so we appreciate them more and so they have films they can relate to.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
Nothing. I really enjoyed every minute.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Some profanity
A gun is used
Thieves still money from unaware old people
Some people get into dangerous situations
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Thelma is surprising and delightful. Always funny and often touching, with excellent performances from June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, and the late great Richard Roundtree. Everyone I know who has seen this movie has loved it. A fun idea, expertly done! Bravo!
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Writer-director Josh Margolin, making his feature debut, based the eponymous character on his grandmother. The script, accordingly, is never patronising.
Its observations about the disconnect between its elderly protagonist and the society around her are surprisingly relatable.
The most adorable “action” pic of the summer is a senior citizen’s caper comedy that’s novel enough and clever enough that the fact that it also has something to say is merely the cherry on top of the cinematic sundae.
The film reflects on issues of aging and autonomy with a mostly light touch, its protagonist making a strong case for the enduring spirit of elderly folks too often infantilized by both society and their loved ones.
Thelma may bill itself as an unconventional action movie, but it’s more of a sitcom, really.
According to playwright David Mamet, “Age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.” And, if 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) has anything to say about it in this fact-based action-comedy-drama, you can take that notion to the bank. In this story of a spry but sometimes-gullible widowed retiree living on her own, we watch – often in jaw-dropping awe – a feisty, independently minded senior determined to get her money back when she’s scammed out of her funds in a phone-based phishing scheme. Thelma says nothing about her plan to her family (Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg), who are already concerned about her ability to continue living on her own, and recruits the assistance of a wily old friend (Richard Roundtree) to join her in her quest to retrieve the stolen cash. The result is an uproarious farce featuring humor that’s clearly outlandish but never implausible or over the top. But there’s more to this offering than laughs – the sight of capable, underestimated elderly folks taking charge over their lives (and, in the case of this picture, even performing their own stunts!) is truly inspiring. This is backed by a potent, poignant (though never preachy) underlying look at what it’s like to grow old and the losses that come with it, a bittersweet meditation on the inevitable changes that come with age and how all too quickly they arrive, material that’s deftly and often philosophically interwoven with the comedy. Director Josh Margolin’s debut feature represents an impressive premiere for the writer-actor, featuring a superbly penned, well-balanced, evenly paced script relating the experiences of his own 103-year-old grandmother, who’s still alive and kicking and whose real-life home was used as one of the film’s principal movie sets. It’s also a triumph for 94-year-old Squibb in her career’s first-ever lead role, one worthy of Oscar contention that effectively depicts a wide-ranging talent that’s been bottled up for far too long. And the film is a fine showcase for Roundtree in his final feature film performance, one in which we see him in a different light from many of his previous roles and in which he’s perfectly matched with his cunning co-star. My only issue with the picture is with the portrayal of Thelma’s family, in which the development of its three principals never comes off quite right, seemingly reaching for something that doesn’t gel properly, an aspect of the narrative that clearly could have used some further refinement. Otherwise, though, “Thelma” (or “Thelmaf” as it was known in an alternate version of the title) is one of the funniest, best produced releases that I’ve seen in quite some time. So hop on your scooter and get your behind to see this one – or else.
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June Squibb plays a 93-year-old woman living alone, but with a close relationship to her grandson (Fred Hechinger). After she loses $10K in a phone scam, she sets out to get it back with her friend (Richard Roundtree). Even though this is billed as an action comedy, there's little of each. The "action" mostly takes place as she rides around LA on a mobility scooter. The "comedy" comes from the situations and Squibb, but she's more plucky than funny. Squbb's character is all about self-reliance and her steadfast performance echoes that. Writer/director Josh Margolin has crafted a sweet little look at elderly capabilities, challenges and family support. NOTE: There's footage of the real Thelma in the early credits.
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Well crafted and smart movie. Its humor is often predictable but with humorous allusions to past thrillers, both good and bad. Nice camera work and editing. At times it is excessively sweet and sentimental, with musical swells that make you say “oh come on”, Overall a decent comedy. Worth a watch.
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Production Company
Bandwagon,
Invention Studios,
Zurich Avenue.
Release Date Jun 21, 2024
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Revenge has never been sweeter.
Awards
Cleveland International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Desertscape International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Sarasota Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination