June Squibb stars in her first-ever leading role at the age of 93 in Thelma. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Every once in a while, there’s a movie that catches you completely by surprise.
These movies stick with you because you expect nothing and are completely blown away. A personal example for me is 2014’s sci-fi action Edge of Tomorrow.
This year’s surprise isn’t a sci-fi epic; instead, it’s the story of a 93-year-old woman named Thelma, who is conned out of her entire life savings by a scam caller pretending to be her grandson.
What follows is 90 minutes of comedic brilliance about an angry senior looking to reclaim what’s hers.
First off, I need to talk about the lead, June Squibb. She plays the title character and she is incredible! Now, she won’t win any Oscars or any awards like that, but watching her completely own every scene she’s in and lose herself in the role is so much fun.
Upon learning it was Ms Squibb’s first-ever lead role, I was blown away. She was incredible and showed that it’s never too late to give something a go.
Her transition from a confused elderly woman to a raging lunatic on a war path is the soul of this movie and it’s awesome. It’s such an interesting concept that I’ve never seen explored before.
In an age where scams are becoming more and more common and increasingly complex, it makes sense that a film about the most vulnerable demographic to these scams looks to get one back.
It reminds me of the film Identity Theft from 2013 starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, only funnier, more interesting and far more relatable.
The supporting cast is also great. They create a vibrant group of characters that range from cool, calm and collected to downright insane. My personal favourite was Thelma’s grandson Danny, a 20-something down-on-his-luck loser looking for his next opportunity to make a few bucks.
Each member of the cast gets a chance to show off their comedic chops and that makes each of them memorable. It seems that first-time writer-director Josh Margolin has allowed his cast to improv a lot of their dialogue; when done well, it helps make a film relatable and spontaneous instead of manufactured and clunky. Thelma benefits from this off-the-cuff humour as it creates some of the film’s best moments.
Perhaps the most surprising asset of Thelma is its action. When you think of a 93-year-old woman, the last thing you’d be led to expect is a slew of well-directed larger-than-life action set pieces. (If you want to see it done poorly, just watch the most recent Indiana Jones.) The action in this is awesome, and it made me laugh with happiness. Car chases, explosions and well-edited choreography – they’re all here and they’re all an absolute delight.
I can’t lie, though. When I was asked to see this with a friend, my initial response was, “Can we go see Beetlejuice this week instead?” But, I’m so glad I could talk about this film and give it its deserved flowers.
While Tim Burton’s newest sequel may dominate the box office this week, I want to strongly recommend you check Thelma out. It’s an original concept action comedy that’s actually funny and we don’t get that enough these days, so when they come around, we need to support them.
Thelma is currently showing in cinemas across the country.
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Riotact.
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