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.
Getting old is difficult. Watching your body physically wither away and your mind losing its edge, is difficult and frustrating, yet inevitable. This is why so many films that focus on elderly characters are focused on death and existentialism. So to see a film not only understand those themes but to turn it into a comedy showing that elderly people are more than just “angry old man yelling at the clouds”, is wonderfully refreshing. Josh Margolin’s Thelma is a wonderful delight with the legendary June Squibb playing a leading lady in this action comedy.
We follow 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) on her own Mission-Impossible mission across LA as she tries to recover $10K that was scammed from her with the help of her grandson (Fred Hechinger) and an old friend (Richard Roundtree). During her mission, she confronts the reality of aging but still doesn’t allow it to get in her way as she uses her ingenuity and determination to get her money back.
Even though Thelma moves as slowly as you expected, the film does not. Through fast, quickly-paced editing, you feel like you are watching a Mission Impossible movie centered on the most mundane tasks. Whether it’s a bank account transfer, or trying to get up some stairs, you constantly find yourself on the edge of your seat. Yet this “impossible” task, feels leisurely as the film confronts aging head-on. Thelma confronts aging with both graceful respect and brutal honesty. The film was not afraid to confront how aging affects you physically and mentally as your body begins to wither away. The mental frustration of not being whole anymore and the constant feeling of being babysat by others because of your age are portrayed with accurate detail. Yet within that brutal honesty, it shows the beauty of growing old. With age comes wisdom, which is perfectly portrayed through Thelma. Furthermore, the power of proving everyone wrong because they underestimated you, is mesmerizing to watch, especially when it is centered on aging.
June Squibb has been working in the entertainment industry for nearly 80 years. But during those years, she never really had the opportunity to be a leading lady until now, at 94 years old. She plays the role of Thelma, with a beating heart and stubborn determination. She is sharp and funny and proves to everyone that age is just a number. Her chemistry with her 24-year-old grandson, Fred Hechinger, is warm perfection as it explores a generational relationship that is not often explored. Hechinger perfectly portrays the lost feeling of being in your early to mid-20s and still having no idea what you are going to do with your life. While Richard Rountree, who sadly passed away last fall, grounded the story with his sincerity and wisdom.
Overall, Thelma is a load of fun showing that age is just a number. So, ff you have a grandparent who is feeling a little down, I highly recommend showing them Thelma to lift up their mood.
My Rating: B+
Leave a Reply