Extra half star 'cause Thelma kicks ass. Barbie had you hugging your mom, Aftersun had you hugging your dad, and Thelma is gonna have you hugging your grandparents. Surprisingly a lot like X thematically, which is lowkey a weird comparison, but anyways, this was really fun and heartwarming. So, I have a soul and like this, 'cause if you gave this ½ a star, just fuck off, man. You're probably one of those Mission Impossible dick riders that can’t admit June Squibb is miles better than Tom Cruise.
It really does a lot and does it very fun, focusing on the elderly for once, 'cause sometimes coming-of-age teen movies get a lot, and movies like this are needed. Most of them don’t even want to confront the way some people treat the elderly—the way they imprison them and literally don’t let them enjoy anything in the last years of their life, just wanting to preserve them more and more because they are afraid of letting them go. I’ve seen this happen with my grandparents, where until like a year ago, Jesus, they wouldn’t even let my grandma go down two stairs alone. She did end up falling and breaking her hip, but that’s another story. Those movies, unlike this one, don’t really focus on how they feel like they are being a burden to the people that care about them.
Thelma really discusses them and doesn’t take that so seriously, because surprisingly, most elders don’t. They just want to have fun and do things they like, just like this movie. It knows what being old is like, the identity they once had just fading away while they are just getting closer and closer to the end. But it also reminds people that their spirit always stays the same. Take a look at Thelma: she is 93, and she is still the same stubborn, inventive, resourceful, and determined woman she always has been. Emphasis on the stubborn, 'cause fuck, she survived breast cancer, a double mastectomy, arrhythmia, TGA, and has a brain tumor growing, but she is not giving away her freedom. She is aware that she has little time with it, and those two years of her life are the only ones she has been making her own decisions.
I really like this movie and the relationship Danny has with Thelma because he, in some way, admires her spirit and, unlike his parents, doesn’t treat her like she is made of glass. His parents aren’t bad ones, just very cliché ones stressing about their old parents, but they don’t realize they have become so overprotective over their son that he honestly looks like a junkie—give that dude a haircut. They need to relax, basically, and that overprotection they have with Danny is kinda why he relates to Thelma, because everyone is overprotective of her too. June Squibb has saved cinema with this one—she’s amazing in this. I really love her, I think everyone does, like why the fuck wouldn’t you?? And Daniel is cool too, I like how patient he was with his grandma—some people aren’t nowadays, so it’s nice to see that. But of course, Thelma is the main character, she steals the show, she is the thing, she is the movie, she is life itself, and I really feel for her, especially in that scene where they were talking about sending her to assisted care if she can’t take care of herself—poor her, look at her face.
The soundtrack was amazing, the director Josh Margolin is clearly a fan of cinema and throws in a lot of references and makes this a '90s action movie. He makes this seem like a Mission Impossible movie and kinda parodies just how much normal stuff like stepping over a lamp becomes like stepping over lasers when you age. The comedy he puts in this movie is special 'cause it’s funny to us, but it’s always really serious to the characters. All of the performances are great, and I found out this was Roundtree's final role. He died after the film was made, but he sure as hell left a mark here and will always be part of cinema history. The movie has its heart in all the right places, knows what it is, and knows what to explore perfectly. It is a reminder that we all eventually die and we age—we can’t be afraid of death and be cautious. We have to enjoy our moments here no matter how old we are, or even if a shit ton of diseases gets us, or even dementia. Our spirit stays the same, we get through them until it’s our time to fall down the stairs
Overall, Thelma is a super fun, heartwarming movie about getting old and still living life to the fullest. It’s kinda like X in a weird way, but way more lighthearted. June Squibb totally steals the show—she’s awesome and brings so much life to it. The movie’s all about how old folks just wanna enjoy their last years, not be treated like fragile glass. Thelma's a badass who refuses to give up her freedom, and that’s what makes it so good. The humor is spot-on, turning everyday stuff into epic moments, reminding us that no matter how old we get, our spirit never really changes. A super real and touching movie.
