Thelma
June 21 - August 8, 2024
Oscar® nominee and SIFF 2024 Tribute June Squibb (Nebraska) stars as the titular 93-year-old character who, when she is scammed out of $10,000, embarks on a daring mission across Los Angeles to recover her money by any means necessary. Featuring one of Richard Roundtree’s final performances.
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“This is one of the year’s best films, and the most fun you’ll have at the theater this summer!”—The Boston Globe
“Holding out until the age of 94 for her first lead role, June Squibb proves what her legion of devoted fans has always known: she’s a superstar.”— Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
John Wick had his dog. “The Dude” had his rug. For Thelma Post, the MacGuffin of this debut feature from writer/director Josh Margolin is a phone call gone bad. Thelma is a fiercely independent 93-year-old (the incandescent fellow nonagenarian June Squibb) who falls for the oldest old-person trick in the book: the telephone scam. After unwittingly sending $10,000 to a criminal who she thought was her grandson, Thelma takes matters into her own hands, much to the chagrin of her daughter (Parker Posey) and son-in-law (Clark Gregg), who think maybe it’s time for some assisted-living help. Finding an Ocean's Eleven-style team is hard at the senior center, so Thelma recruits her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree, in his final role), who reluctantly allows Thelma to borrow his snazzy scooter. Together, they race to intercept the money before the criminals escape. While the premise could’ve descended into superhuman senior slapstick, Margolin wisely makes Thelma and Ben believable characters who overcome the realities of infirmity with their wits. While much hilarity is mined from 5 mph scooter chases and hearing-aid spy equipment, Thelma is a charming crowd-pleaser that respects the difficulties of old age and gives Roundtree a proper career coda. Can you dig it?
—Randy Woods
- Director: Josh Margolin
- Principal Cast: June Squibb, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Richard Roundtree
- Country: USA
- Year: 2024
- Running Time: 97 min.
- Producer: Zoe Worth, Chris Kaye, Nicholas Weinstock, Benjamin Simpson, Karl Spoerri, Viviana Vezzani
- Screenplay: Josh Margolin
- Cinematographers: David Bolen
- Editors: Josh Margolin
- Music: Nick Chuba
- Language: English
- US Distributor: Magnolia Pictures