A recommendation: Thelma starring June Squibb
"Revenge has never been sweeter." Watch this badass 93-year-old mastermind kick butt and get her revenge against a phone scammer! And then sit down for a break because she's really tired. One of the most delightfully funny under-the-radar gems of 2024 is now playing in theaters. Thelma premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (read our review (Opens in a new window)) and won over audiences of all ages at that fest, before going on to play at the Sarasota, Cleveland, Miami, Nantucket, San Francisco, & Atlanta Film Festivals around the US. The extraordinarily talented and beloved 93-year-old actress June Squibb stars in her very first lead role in her extensive acting career as the titular Thelma. When she 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. She teams up with her retirement home friend Ben, played by the iconic Richard Roundtree in one his final roles (he passed away in late 2023 just before the premiere - best known for playing Shaft in the original 1971 movie), to wreak havoc… But only once they power up their electric scooters. This is one of the most entertaining crowd-pleasers of 2024 - and it's an amusing bring-everyone-you-know and have a fun time at the theater movies. 🍿 There's so much to love about it, beyond the filmmaking, from the performances to the story to the heartfelt relationship Thelma has with her grandson Danny, played by Fred Hechinger in the film. Don't miss this one.
Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, Thelma puts a clever spin on movies like Mission: Impossible (June Squibb is the new Tom Cruise!!), shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency. If you need any more convincing - Thelma still has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Opens in a new window), meaning everyone loves it. Not many movies can say they are that highly regarded by every critic, especially when they're this much fun. I wrote in my glowing review (Opens in a new window) from Sundance: "Most of all, this really is June Squibb completely owning this role and showing us she absolutely can carry an entire film, even in her 90s. She deserves all of our admiration and appreciation. Our sweet, old revenge hero, getting back at the world while never losing her grandma charm." Magnolia Pictures is releasing Thelma and they put plenty of time & effort into making sure it would get the attention of audiences, including creating an amusing crochet poster (seen above). Whether you catch it in theaters or later on this year at home, Thelma is one of 2024’s best indie films that must be seen. I can't recommend it enough (here’s a trailer (Opens in a new window)).
For more info on Thelma and to find out where it’s playing, visit its official site (Opens in a new window).
