Liam Neeson has aged himself out of his Taken persona. Same with Keanu Reeves, who went out in a blaze of John Wick Glory. So the action movie star belt for the aging star was on the table to pick up. I don’t think I had June Squibb on my list, but she throws her hat in the ring with Thelma, a really inspired action movie that actually has us laughing with and not at Squibb, cheering her on as she seeks her own form of revenge.
Squibb’s Thelma is basically your grandma, retired and living her simple days in a retirement home, often visited by her loving grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger). One day, she gets a phone call from someone sounding like Danny, saying he’s in danger and needs $10,000. The panicked Thelma mails the money, but quickly realizes this was a scam. Unhappy with the injustice and inaction towards her, Thelma tries to retrieve the money, with the help of her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) and his state of the art scooter getting 43 miles to the recharge.
I know Thelma’s being pitched as an action comedy thriller, something like that. I would argue it has more beats in common with a spy movie that it does an action film. The stakes are just way lower. If you think of Thelma as James Bond, Danny is the Q: the younger tech “whiz” who helps our heroine navigate the technical issues she has. Ben is the Bond “Girl”. The scooter is the Aston Martin. Parker Posey and Clark Gregg are essentially the British Government, trying to reign in our Thelma. And we’re hopping all over the place in all sorts of sets and venues. But, because of who Thelma is, all these parallels are just innately funny in conception. The tech issues Thelma has to deal with are pop-up ads, or phone apps that won’t work properly. Where’s she traveling to? Gas stations, friend’s houses, an antique store, etc. There’s a big action sequence where Ben and Thelma have to use some tech savvy to evade capture, but instead of an electromagnetic pulse, or some microwave emitter or something crazy like that, it’s an Apple Watch and a Life Alert. Writer/director Josh Margolin really thinks through all of these sequences, using the beats of a spy film to amusing effect considering our protagonist. Culminating with the wonderful climax, working on a couple levels, one of sincere urgency and another of pure delight and amusement for the audience on the edge of their seat rooting for Thelma to get the job done.
Generally, the tone is light and wonderfully amusing because of this spy movie setup with a couple octogenarians. The trick that Josh Margolin pulls of is getting us to not laugh at these two and their limitations. In fact, those limitations give the movie it’s comedic and emotional power. Simple maneuvers like stepping over a downed lamp are much harder when you can barely move as is. And if you fall down alone and you’re June Squibb? You’re screwed if no one’s there to help you. The basic things we take for granted when we’re younger are used to frame the movie, as Thelma and Ben are mostly fighting against obsolescence and for their own agency in their lives, which is diminishing day by day, with constant reminders everywhere from dead friends to the specter of senility constantly approaching. Through their idea of a big adventure, Ben and Thelma learn to live a little again, and enjoy life on their terms that they maybe had taken for granted previously.
So could June Squibb make a couple Thelmas? Who knows! She’s game for this one, and still just a wonderful screen presence, reminding us of the grandma we all wish we had. Plus, anything to keep Parker Posey doing incredible supporting parts I will always approve of, especially after that legendary Beau Is Afraid turn.