The elderly victim of a phone scam embarks on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken in Thelma. As Vicci Ho writes, star June Squibb is a joy to watch – a reminder how lucky we are as an audience to have the actor in our lives.
Spam calls are the bane of everyone’s existence. However, for less tech-savvy folks like the elderly, spammers can actually cause a great deal of harm. First time writer / director Josh Margolin turned his grandmother’s real life experience of being scammed and turned it into a charming action-comedy that, like its heroine, is a little more than meets the eye.
The legendary June Squibb stars as the titular character, who is ninety-three years young, lives alone after being widowed and receives regular visits from her doting grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger). After Thelma falls for a spam call and mails the spammer $10,000, she decides to trek across the city of Los Angeles to get the money back. Thelma recruits her old friend Ben (the late, great Richard Roundtree in his final role) and his mobility scooter from their nursing home to fulfil this mission, as Thelma is determined to prove to her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg) and Daniel that she is still capable of achieving things on her own.
There is a loving warmth that runs through this breezy film. Thelma (both the film and the character) takes inspiration from Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible (with a very funny nod for anyone who is a fan of the franchise), with Thelma relying on ‘gadgets’ such as hearing aids, trackers and mobility scooters to get across the vast landscape of LA to try and find the culprits. While much of the action is played for laughs, the comedy is never mean-spirited or done in a way to mock the elderly. You are likely to chuckle at watching Thelma’s routine because it is familiar to anyone who knows an elderly person, but it works well because it is never done to punch down.
What makes Thelma more than just a charming, feel-good Sundance film (where it premiered) is that it provides a rarely-observed perspective that independence is deeply cherished by the elderly, yet they also know how lonely and painful it can be to outlive those around you. Thelma is rightfully frustrated at her family’s constant infantilising of her, but she is also keenly aware that her aging body is slowly failing her. It is something that is rarely seen on screen and Margolin does a fine job balancing the comedy with some deeply moving character development for its elderly leading cast.
The film is less convincing when the focus shifts away from Thelma, with a side plot on Daniel’s struggles to find his way through adulthood that feels a bit unnecessary and Thelma’s family run-ins with Ben’s nursing home workers (Nicole Byer and Quinn Beswick) that is perhaps too slapstick-y to be more than a silly gag. These however are minor complaints and the very talented supporting cast provide funny and moving performances throughout.
Squibb, however, is undoubtedly the star of the film. In her first EVER leading role, she is utterly convincing as a no-nonsense, fiercely independent Thelma who is so full-of-life and has such easy chemistry with Hechinger, it is easy to believe why Daniel adores his grandma. Squibb expertly balances her understated comedy with moments of vulnerability, making her character such a joy to watch and reminds us just how lucky we are as an audience to have Squibb in our lives.
