Academy Award nominee June Squibb becomes a nonagenarian Ethan Hunt in Thelma, one of the sweetest, funniest and most unexpected movies of the year.
It's a revenge comedy inspired by the likes of Mission: Impossible, marrying a hilariously entertaining spy-movie parody and a heartwarming (sometimes heartbreaking) portrayal of the loneliness so often experienced by older generations.
The movie, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, follows 93-year-old Thelma (Squibb) as she refuses to stay put after falling victim to a scam.
Related: Best movies of 2024
A stranger calls Thelma on the phone pretending to be her grandson Danny (played by Gladiator II and The White Lotus star Fred Hechinger). He tells her he's in trouble and needs $10,000 sent by mail immediately, which she does.
Realising later it was all a lie, Thelma goes from embarrassment to rage.
What to Read Next
While Danny's parents (played by Parker Posey and Clark Gregg) wonder if it's time for her to be moved to a caring home, Thelma embarks on a journey across the city to find the perpetrators and get her money back.
After she unsuccessfully attempts to steal his two-seat mobility scooter, her friend Ben (played by the late Richard Roundtree) joins her quest. And what a dream team they make.
Related: Thelma debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating
Thelma's journey is about revenge and retribution, but also about proving to her family that she can still take care of her own business.
Director Josh Margolin was inspired by his own grandmother – the end credits feature a video of the centenarian woman, who is as charismatic as Squibb – and that's probably why the movie oozes love. It avoids looking at elders in a patronising light or even playing their problems for laughs.
Much like Maite Alberdi's Oscar-nominated documentary The Mole Agent, which sees an 83-year-old man infiltrating a nursing home to investigate a possible crime, Thelma uses comedy and parody in order to address heavier topics.
Luckily, the movie avoids clichéd or patronising narratives as it builds towards a moving and transformative adventure.
In her first-ever leading role on the big screen, Squibb delivers a superb performance that feels delightfully authentic and touching.
Her character finds unexpected inspiration in Tom Cruise, and the movie is at its funniest when that turns into a light-hearted spoof of his most famous action moments. For example, when Thelma drives like a maniac with her mobility scooter or goes through a busy lamp shop like she's entering a laser-protected bank vault.
Along with Ben, she creates an improvised communication device using their hearing aids, and when he questions her ability to use a gun, she simply replies: "How hard can it be? Idiots use them all the time."
The movie's brilliant sense of humour makes for a great watch, with some genuinely hysterical moments.
At the core of the movie, though, is the beautiful relationship between Thelma and her grandson Danny, providing parallels between two apparently opposite life situations — they both feel like life is escaping their control, but they are better when they support each other.
The opening scene, where Danny teaches Thelma to use Gmail, is such a heartwarming real-life situation that it will have you reaching for your phone to call your grandma.
As pointed out in the story, Thelma is about learning how to ask for help, and understanding that it's not a sign of weakness but of strength.
Thelma is out tomorrow (July 19) in UK cinemas.
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
