Thelma is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Josh Margolin. The film stars June Squibb as an elderly woman who falls victim to a phone scam, and sets out to find the perpetrators with the help of her grandson (Fred Hechinger) and friend (Richard Roundtree, in his final role); Clark Gregg, Parker Posey, and Malcolm McDowell also star.[4]
| Thelma | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Josh Margolin |
| Written by | Josh Margolin |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Bolen |
| Edited by | Josh Margolin |
| Music by | Nick Chuba |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $12.4 million[2][3] |
Thelma premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024, and was released in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on June 21, 2024. The film received positive reviews and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.[5]
Plot
edit93-year-old Thelma Post lives alone in Los Angeles. Her aimless but loving grandson Daniel "Danny" Markowitz often visits and looks after her needs despite not taking responsibility for his own life. Although Thelma is close with Danny, she finds his constant assistance patronizing.
A phone scammer calls Thelma posing as Danny, claiming he has been arrested. Thelma idiotically sends $10,000 to a local address as instructed. After a panic involving her daughter Gail and son-in-law Alan, Thelma finds out Danny is safe and she was scammed. Unable to get help from the police and unwilling to let the scammer get away with her money, Thelma evades her family and sets out to the address to retrieve it.
Thelma attempts to contact old friends for a favor but discovers most of them have died or moved away. She reluctantly enlists the help of Ben, a friend and widower living in assisted living whom she had been ignoring since her husband's death. They ride Ben's expensive 2-person scooter to the home of Mona, their elderly acquaintance. Thelma steals Mona's gun while Ben distracts her. Meanwhile, Danny, Gail, and Alan realize Thelma is missing and search for her to no avail. During an argument with his parents, Danny vents about his recent breakup with his girlfriend and his lack of skills aside from looking after Thelma, fearing he will go nowhere in life.
Thelma and Ben get lost in a shady neighborhood as they near the scammer's address. Ben insists on turning back, but Thelma refuses. They argue, and Ben chastises Thelma for her avoidance of him and her unwillingness to allow people to help her, which reminds him of how his impaired hearing prevented him from registering his late wife's fall years earlier until it was too late. Thelma admits she didn't need him, just his scooter. Ben’s scooter is then destroyed by a reckless driver, prompting him to abandon Thelma. Thelma continues alone on foot, eventually suffering a fall. She realizes she can not get up on her own and gives up hope until Ben returns to assist her and the two reconcile.
Thelma and Ben reach the address, where a young man collects Thelma's money from a PO box. They follow him to a rundown antique store. Ben listens through their connected phones while Thelma sneaks in and discovers the owner, Harvey, and his grandson Michael running a scam operation in the backroom. Thelma demands her money back, but they refuse, and Harvey grabs her arm. Harvey, who relies on an oxygen regulator and his grandson, laments that his store is failing and has resorted to scamming people to stay financially stable. Thelma pretends not to know who they are and apologizes for being a nuisance. Once seated, she pulls Mona's gun on Harvey. Michael tries to escape but is knocked out by Ben outside. Thelma uses Harvey’s computer while Ben holds Harvey at gunpoint but struggles with the banking system. She calls Danny for help, and he guides her through transferring the money while driving to pick them up. Michael re-enters the store, but Thelma tells him that Harvey talks down about him, leading Michael to abandon his grandfather. Thelma leaves Harvey $500 of the $10,000 transfer and scolds him for tricking people and not appreciating his grandson. Thelma and Ben exit the store triumphantly before being picked up by Danny.
Thelma is reunited with her family and they watch Ben perform in a play at the nursing home. She has a newfound respect for Ben, and they make plans to get together in the near future. While visiting her husband's gravesite with Danny, Thelma assures her grandson that he will be fine when she is eventually gone. As Daniel drives Thelma home, they talk in the car about how incredible it is that the trees are still alive, no matter how gnarled their roots look. A mid-credits scene shows writer/director Josh Margolin having an identical conversation with his own (now-deceased) grandmother.
Cast
edit
- June Squibb as Thelma
- Fred Hechinger as Daniel
- Richard Roundtree as Ben
- Parker Posey as Gail
- Clark Gregg as Alan
- Malcolm McDowell as Harvey
- Nicole Byer as Rochelle
- Quinn Beswick as Colin
- Coral Peña as Allie
- Aidan Fiske as Michael
- Bunny Levine as Mona
- Ruben Rabasa as Winston
Release
editThelma premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024. It was released theatrically in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on June 21, 2024.[6][7] It released in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2024.[1]
This is Roundtree's final feature film, having been released after his death in 2023.[8]
Reception
editBox office
editThelma grossed $9 million in the United States and Canada, and $3.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $12.4 million.[2][3]
In the United States and Canada, Thelma was released alongside The Bikeriders and The Exorcism.[9] It grossed $2.3 million from 1,290 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing in eighth.[10]
Critical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 191 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A stellar showcase for the talented June Squibb, Thelma avoids cheap laughs as it finds the lighter side of some serious issues."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
Accolades
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Thelma (12A)". BBFC. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Thelma – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Thelma". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (November 21, 2022). "June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg & Malcolm McDowell Set For Josh Margolin Comedy 'Thelma'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Top 10 Independent Films Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 6, 2023). "2024 Sundance Film Festival Lineup: New Steven Soderbergh Film, Kristen Stewart Love Story and Devo Doc". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 5, 2024). "June Squibb Action Comedy Thelma Sets Summer Release With Magnolia Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Meilstrup, Adam (June 20, 2024). "'Miss Him a Lot': Richard Roundtree Honored by Co-Star of Final Film". CBR. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
Squibb also added, 'I did love him. We all did. And I think we feel very honored that we shared his last film with him.'
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 24, 2024). "Inside Out 2 Record Second Weekend For Animated Pic Bigger At $101M – Monday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 25". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Thelma". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Thelma". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ www.clevelandfilm.org https://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/awards-winners-ciff48. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Blauvelt, Christian (April 15, 2024). "'Thelma,' 'Sugarcane,' and 'Alok' Win Top Prizes at the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Inc, Structured Abstraction. "2024 Awards - Calgary Underground Film Festival". www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "MFF-2024". Mendocino Film Festival. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Marshall, David (June 21, 2024). "Congratulations to the 2024 Award Winners". Provincetown Film. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ admin (July 1, 2024). "Hollywood Creative Alliance Announces the Nominees for the 2024 Astra Midseason Movie Awards". The Astra Awards Presented by The Hollywood Creative Alliance. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ admin (November 26, 2024). "2024 Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards Nominations Have Arrived". The Astra Awards Presented by The Hollywood Creative Alliance. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ "AwardsWatch - 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". AwardsWatch. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ "The 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ "2025 Movies for Grownup Awards Nominees". AARP. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (December 12, 2024). "Conclave And Wicked Lead Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Nominees | International Press Academy". Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 5, 2024). "'Dune: Part Two', 'Fallout' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (December 17, 2024). "'Wicked' & 'Gladiator II' Among Film Nominees For 40th Annual Artios Awards; Casting Nods Also Go To 'Saturday Night' & 'Moana 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 4, 2024). "Spirit Awards 2025 Nominations: 'Anora' and 'I Saw the TV Glow' Lead Film Categories, 'Shōgun' Rules TV". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ "The 2024 EDA Award Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
