150 Word Review: 'Thelma' (2024)
Old dogs, new tricks
Thelma is a thoughtful, sharp-witted action comedy that asks the question: What if Tom Cruise were an adorable 93-year-old woman with hearing aids on an impossible mission to recover her stolen life savings? I would have never asked this, but thankfully, writer-director Josh Margolin did.
His movie shrinks action movie cliches down to a size our unbeatable hero, Thelma, played by Oscar-nominated actor June Squib, can almost handle, with the help of Richard Roundtree's Ben, an old friend with a new scooter. Together, they hunt down a pair of phone scammer scumbags.
Thelma leads a quiet widow's life, occasionally doted on by her loving, if adrift, grandson, Dan. The world underestimates both. Fred Hechinger is lost but loyal as Dan. Parker Posey and Clark Gregg are very modern parents. Squib's performance is vulnerable and dignified, and she does most of her own stunts. Payback is a bubi with a pistol.