Movie Review: Thelma

By John Corrado

Writer-director Josh Margolin’s Thelma is being pitched as a senior citizen’s action comedy. But the indie character dramedy really functions as a wonderful leading showcase for elderly actress June Squibb, whose star has really risen over the past decade as a scene-stealing supporting player.

Squibb stars as the titular Thelma, a feisty 93-year-old who is determined to keep living on her own, with slacker grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger) frequently checking in on her. She is reluctant to move into an assisted living facility (or even wear her lifeline panic button), valuing her independence.

When a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson dupes her into putting $10,000 in the mail, she sets out to get her money back, inspired by seeing Tom Cruise do his own stunts in the Mission: Impossible movies.

The mission involves springing her old friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) from the retirement home to use his new electric scooter, and setting out to track down the crooks who stole her money. If Thelma doesn’t quite live up to its gimmick of being a senior citizen’s Mission: Impossible – the film’s action beats are mostly subdued, and limited to low-speed scooter chases – it’s a very charming picture.

Margolin’s film is really about an elderly lady desperately trying to hold onto her independence and agency over her own life. This is in contrast to Ben, who has established a life for himself at the senior’s home, enjoying the cafeteria melons and acting in their amateur theatre productions; he agrees to go along with Thelma on her mission, but wants to get back in time for the old folk’s home production of Annie (he is playing Daddy Warbucks).

The role of Thelma really allows Squibb to show off her deft comedic timing, but she also shines in the quieter beats, imbuing a lifetime of feeling behind her widowed character who yearns for one last big adventure. The late Roundtree does wonderful work as the old friend who has settled into his twilight years, and their scenes together deliver the joy of watching two veteran actors at work.

The film also serves as a portrait of the wayward grandson trying to come to terms with the prospect of losing his beloved grandma (the story is inspired by the director’s own life and grandmother). Hechinger does nice work as the grandson who worries about Thelma and feels somewhat responsible, while Clark Gregg and indie darling Parker Posey round out the cast as his meddlesome parents. It’s heightened by a fun, tongue-in-cheek espionage score by Nick Chuba that gives the whole thing an enjoyably playful, fast-paced feel.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)