From Jeff Nelson

Writer/director Josh Margolin makes his feature film debut with an offbeat adventure/comedy in the form of Thelma, which is chock-full of action-oriented satire. Despite its high frequency of jokes surrounding aging, there’s an endearing message on family, independence, and living in the present that resonates to a surprising degree. 

Thelma Post (June Squibb) is a 93-year-old woman adjusting to living on her own after her husband’s death. She spends the majority of her free time with her beloved grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger). One day, she falls for a phone scam, duping her out of $10,000. Thelma takes matters into her own hands, setting out on a dangerous quest across town to reclaim what was taken from her.

Margolin’s screenplay weaves comedy, drama, and adventure over the course of its breezy 97-minute runtime, most of which is centered around the title character’s increasingly-claustrophobic world. Thelma’s daughter (Parker Posey), son-in-law (Clark Gregg), and grandson all care deeply for her well-being, but to a suffocating degree that leaves her feeling stripped of her independence. She grapples with loneliness, particularly as she discovers just how small her world has become compared to what it once was in the form a small-scale adventure that feels far larger than it actually is.

The perspective temporarily shifts away from Thelma after her adventure begins, meandering into Daniel’s youthful world of uncertainty. He’s still figuring out what he’s doing with his life, while dealing with relationship issues with his girlfriend (Coral Peña). The contrasting scopes of hardship in differing stages of life compliment the film’s message, although Daniel’s world is dramatically underbaked, causing the perspective shifts to feel stilted. 

Squibb delivers an absolute knockout performance as Thelma, capturing her dry sense of humor and dramatic underpinnings with finesse. The late Richard Roundtree turns in highly-effective work as Thelma’s old friend, Ben, capitalizing on strong on-screen chemistry with Squibb. Hechinger particularly lands the dramatic beats as Daniel, transforming the grandmother-grandson relationship into one that lands an impact.

Thelma throws an undeniably charming spin on the action genre, with a sweet message that ultimately feels greater than the sum of its parts. Squibb is absolutely stellar, carrying the film through some of its third-act woes. It’s an overly-familiar, albeit well-intentioned adventure that makes for an overall enjoyable time at the movies.

Rating: 3/5

Thelma played at Sundance 2024 on January 18th, 2024.

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