Veteran character actor June Squibb, right, gets her first starring role in Thelma, which sees her as the titular character set out on a quest after being duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson.VVS
Thelma
Written and directed by Josh Margolin
Starring June Squibb, Richard Roundtree and Parker Posey
Classification N/A; 97 minutes
Opens in select theatres June 21
Critic’s Pick
It can be tough for filmmakers to find the right tone when working within the comedy sub-genre one might describe as “seniors behaving badly.” Fall too short of laughs that are both sincere and cutting and you risk infantilizing your main character; tread too far into the deep end of naughty gags and you risk falling into the equally if not more humiliating territory of a movie like 2016′s Dirty Grandpa.
With Thelma, writer-director Josh Margolin balances a clear affection for the lead – the eponymous Thelma (played by veteran character actor June Squibb) – and the ability to laugh alongside her. Margolin’s feature debut is a semi-autobiographical story based upon his own grandmother’s experience with a pair of phone scammers who prey on the elderly in an attempt to defraud them of thousands of dollars.
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Disability and aging form the film’s core themes around which Margolin builds out charming gags as well as wholly sincere moments of realization and loving camaraderie. Here, Margolin’s onscreen Thelma is a 93-year-old woman who, living alone following the passing of her husband, is somewhat stubborn in maintaining her own day-to-day autonomy and established way of living. Her loving grandson, Daniel (White Lotus’s Fred Hechinger), perpetually neurotic daughter Gail (Parker Posey), and similarly obsessive son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg) all worry about Thelma in their own loving but overbearing way.
When Thelma receives a call from someone pretending to be Alan, she is quick to hand over $10,000 in bail money once she hears of an unfortunate series of events that have supposedly landed the young man in jail. What follows is a Mission: Impossible-inspired series of thrills and laughs as we follow Thelma across Los Angeles to find the thieves who have duped her.
Thelma is Squib’s first-ever starring role following decades of work in film – from her 1990 debut in Woody Allen’s Alice to her Oscar-nominated supporting role in Alexander Payne’s 2013 comedy-drama Nebraska – and she is a true delight to watch. Notably undertaking her own stunts in the film, Squib’s character is equal parts steely-eyed and vulnerable, navigating the changing nature of her own self as she ages, as well as how that impacts how she is (or isn’t) able to move through the world around her.
Thelma is joined by her fellow aging friend Ben (the great Richard Roundtree, here in his last onscreen role) in her quest for vengeance and, between the two of them, titanium hips, hearing aids and mobility scooters all become part of the movie’s winking action-thriller arsenal. These charming action film tropes coyly highlight those experiences of access and disability that are usually invisible, both onscreen and in the real world.
Thelma offers up a buffet of true-to-life moments that feel like a loving tribute to the experience of aging, from showing how Thelma has her money tucked away in random places in the house to interminably long conversations about both nothing and everything.
And, while Thelma and her peers speak often of the loneliness that comes with old(er) age, all the characters – across all ages – in the film have their own moments of self-doubt and alienation. It’s a show of nimble script writing on Margolin’s part that is held down by a stellar cast of actors who each bring their own spirit to their roles, offering a reminder of the grace we all hope to be offered as we move through life’s perpetual challenges.
There is a lovely earnestness to Thelma which, alongside its boisterous energy, will no doubt make it a crowd-pleaser for audiences of all ages who hope to find a fun bit of thrill and tension in its “aged up” action. A tender comedy at heart, Thelma is a delightful romp that focuses on the different textures of the human experience and the poignant (and sometimes very silly) moments that come with it.
Special to The Globe and Mail