PARK CITY – Are you ready for a 93-year-old action hero? No, we’re not referring to whatever movie or television show Sylvester Stallone is working on at the moment (he’s also just a spry 77, by the way). We’re talking about one of the most unlikely heroes of all portrayed by none other than June Squibb. Yes, the Oscar nominee stars as the title character in Josh Margolin’s “Thelma,” a world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival that reminds scammers it’s not smart to mess with the wrong retiree.
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Inspired by real-life events and Margolin’s now 103-year-old grandmother (she appears in a video during the credits), “Thelma” finds our heroine living a quiet existence in the San Fernando Valley. Her husband passed away two years prior, but she still lives in the same apartment spending her time doing needlepoint and watching the news. she has a unique bond with her 24-year-old grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) who seems to care more about her than her detached daughter Gail (Parker Posey) and her perhaps too mild-mannered son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg). Unfortunately, Danny is fumbling through life a the moment. He’s unable to get over a breakup and is unmotivated to find a job, but he lights up whenever it comes to his grandmother. Unlike his parents, he has genuine patience in helping her in any way he can. Whether that means helping her learn (or likely re-learn) how to use her computer or driving her wherever she needs to go.
One sunny day, Thelma gets a call from someone who identifies themselves as Danny telling her he’s in trouble and needs her to send someone $10,000 immediately. Before she considers any of the alternatives, Thelma panics and mails the money off to an address in the Northern part of the Valley. Quickly realizing she made a mistake, Thelma comes clean to her family who immediately go to the authorities. Frustratingly, the police can’t help although throwing away the address (or at least thinking she has) wasn’t the best move. The incident also finds Gail wondering out loud if her mother has reached a “new phase” and shouldn’t be living on her own anymore (uh oh). Thelma plays coy at first, pretending not to hear the discourse surrounding her, but she is secretly having none of it. Her family and the police have underestimated her and, perhaps inspired by Tom Cruise and a “Mission: Impossible” movie of all things, she has a plan.
After finding the address in the garbage, Thelma cons Danny into driving her to a local residential facility to borrow a scooter from her old friend Ben (Richard Roundtree). Before he knows it, and against his better judgment, he’s teaming up with her to sneak away from her grandson and take down the scammers (or maybe make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid). Their afternoon adventure finds them taking a detour to visit a mutual friend, Mona (Bunny Levine, simply divine), who, frankly, shouldn’t be living alone but has a gun Thelma is gonna swipe from her. Y’know, just in case she needs it. Meanwhile, Danny and his parents have an existential crisis hoping she’ll return before they have to send out a senior alert.
If this sounds like the sort of movie only you’re parents would love, well, you’re wrong. Margolin’s directorial debut is often super entertaining with just enough style and patience to avoid the trappings of a broad, studio endeavor. It also has a ton to say about senior autonomy, aging, ageism (two very different things), and the bonds between family members, young and old. Squibb’s performance is genuinely remarkable given her age and physical limitations (she reportedly did all her own stunts). We’re not sure many actresses could suspend an audience’s natural disbelief with this particular scenario, but Squibb more than pulls it off. Roundtree delivers a wonderful final performance, bouncing off his co-star with pitch-perfect comedic timing and giving Ben a much-needed gravitas. While Posey and Gregg sadly aren’t given much to do, Hechinger absolutely shines as Danny, especially in his scenes with Squibb. You’ll wish you eventually have or had a grandchild who loves you as much as Hechinger’s Danny loves Thelma.
It’s no disrespect to remark that “Thelma” isn’t necessarily groundbreaking cinema. Even for an indie debuting at Sundance. Margolin does, however, make you reconsider the state of senior living and those who rightfully want to live on their own. Oh, and it certainly has a refreshing amount of heart (did we just say that in a review?) as you root for our heroine and Danny to get things right.
“Thelma” is also a pretty quintessential Los Angeles movie that does its best to make the sprawling streets of San Fernando Valley look picturesque which, to be fair, is no easy feat. It also features not one but two Gelson’s supermarket references and a shout-out to the gone but not forgotten Souplantation. And for locals, that’s worth a giggle or two. [B+/B]
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