Thelma

• Written, Directed and Edited by Josh Margolin
• January 18, 2024 (Sundance) / June 21, 2024 (US)

When she is scammed out of $10,000, an elderly woman takes matters into her own hands to get her money back.

Thelma is an action comedy that is a play on the old person that’s still a bad ass genre that’s been growing lately but is also much more than that. There is the theme of confronting old age and time with the main characters looking at the end of life and having given up. That spark of life is gone from them meaning when this movie goes downbeat it goes really downbeat. For instance when Thelma starts calling old friends to help her out during her predicament only to find they have died. It also manages genuine humor with moments that tug at the emotions.

Nothing ever rises to outsized or unrealistic. Director Josh Margolin keeps it extremely grounded which also helps to make it humorous. One the surface it is about Thelma getting her money back. The real point of the story is about both Thelma and Ben reclaiming something in themselves that was lost. Both Thelma and Ben have lost a zest they had. By the end of the film they found that special spark again. Both are happy and alive once more.

Thelma’s family has some strain and stress they’ve been ignoring. Nothing that makes them dysfunctional but ones that cause friction. Danny is lost with the only thing he feels capable being watching his grandmother and he failed at that. Danny’s parents love him but baby him contributing to his self-doubt. 

Not only do Thelma and Ben come out different by the credits but the family has overcome their issues, and even the grandson who is a little lost has gained some direction from his experiences. Things are not perfect but they on a better ground.

Thelma Post (June Squibb) is a sweet grandmother with a dedicated grandson named Danny (Fred Hechinger) who loves her dearly and a daughter and son-in-law that think she’s a fragile porcelain creature. Thelma is vastly more capable than others give her credit for with that capability courtesy of the actress hidden behind an elderly and sweet demeanor. After being tricked out of $10,000 by a phone scam and getting no help, she takes it upon herself to get back her money.

Richard Roundtree, in his final film role as Ben, is a bit of a shock in this. He will forever be Shaft. Yet the man was certainly an individual of talent. This is about as far from John Shaft as one could get yet equally believable. Ben is a widower trying to maintain connection with Thelma and she just does not like him yet he is the only person with any resources or just energy that can help her.

There’s a nice balance of heart and humor in this. They certainly play at the elderly aspects and the weird quirks that come with being older. And they use old age elements to lovingly mock action movie tropes such as the heroes walking calmly away from an explosion or car chases or the amazing escape. All done with a loving senior citizen spin.

I’m not sure if Malcolm McDowell as the villain Harvey is trying to put on an American accent or not. It is impossible for me to decide. Not every actor can do it. Sometimes faking an accent is not in a talented individual’s repertoire. He’s always a nice heavy and the pokes that come in his scene with Thelma I’m pretty sure harken back to things that have been said to him about him.

This movie works because it’s not just an action film and it’s not just an action comedy. It’s about the characters and they go through some things and they change and they grow by the end. And that’s why it’s good. The director created something with substance. I can find nothing worth complaining about here.

If you’re looking for something more along the lines of a traditional action film by the likes of Schwarzenegger and Stallone then Thelma is not for you. If you want something funny with a little bit heart and action, then this will satisfy. It hits all the right notes and entertains all the way through.