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You don’t mess with Thelma.
I’m going to cut to the chase on this review and just say that this movie is a great time. The Oriental Theatre was rolling at the Sunday afternoon screening, a laugh a minute, including some floor-shakers. It’s hilarious, heart-warming, and a ton of fun.
So what’s it about? The titular character, Thelma Post, is a 93-year-old woman living alone after her husband’s death. One afternoon, she gets a call from her grandson claiming that he’s in jail, and his attorney demands that she mail over $10,000 to pay his bail. Frantic and unable to reach her daughter on the phone, she gets the cash, rushes to the post office, and mails it to the address the attorney gave her.
Then her grandson shows up. Turns out that Thelma was scammed.
The police aren’t able to help since the cash has already been sent. Her loving grandson, and his bickering parents, advise her to accept that the money’s gone and be more wary about strange calls in the future. There’s really nothing to be done.
But again … you don’t mess with Thelma.
The elderly woman, inspired by the aging star Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible stunts, sets out on a mission to hunt down her scammers and get her money back, with the help of an electrified scooter and old friend.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Listen, this comedy’s probably not winning any Oscars – but it won my heart. That started with the very first scene, which sees Thelma squinting at her desktop computer, her grandson hunching at her side, patiently explaining what an “inbox” is and how to “scroll.”
The dialogue is smart, fast-moving and consistently hilarious. If you’ve ever spent time amongst the elderly, have taken care of a loved one, or are at that stage of life yourself, then the little details shine through every scene. One favorite moment of mine saw Thelma startle at a pop-up ad on the computer and say, in horror, “It wants me to join a gym. I’m going to say no.” Another is when her grandson is trying to explain to a stranger his grandmother’s dietary needs: “Like, she can’t chew salad … but the other day she ate a cashew!”
Thelma’s gradual emergence as a geriatric Ethan Hunt also makes for quite a few gags – although I don’t think they land as hilariously as the observational humor about aging. (But it is quite fun to see Thelma wielding a pistol and careening around in a motor scooter.)
When I heard the premise, I was concerned that it would turn into a mockery of the old – but I don’t think it ever crosses that line. All the jokes are with Thelma and her elderly friends, not at her expense, and the movie pokes plenty of fun at her grandson’s failure to launch and his parent’s nagging, helicopter ways.
And the movie’s got a big heart. You might call it sentimental, but if you’re not a jaded cynic, you’ll probably find yourself tearing up once or twice. Remember when I said the Oriental was rolling with laughter at the top of this review – well, it was also deathly quiet a couple times, save for the sound of sniffles.
The star of the show, obviously, is June Squibb, the actress who plays Thelma with spunk, humor and heart, but the entire cast is strong. Fred Hechinger (a highly underrated actor who you may recognize from “The White Lotus”) is fantastic as Thelma’s heartbroken grandson who, at 24 years old, still hasn’t gotten his life together. And his parents, played by Parker Posey and Clark Gregg, provide a snappy back-and-forth comedy, as they try to hunt down Thelma before she gets herself hurt. And Richard Roundtree is hilarious and heartwarming as Ben, Thelma’s friend roped against his will into her quest.
Oh, and also Malcolm McDowell is in it. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that one. He’s great, too.
Thelma does what the best comedies do, weaving one-off jokes and running bits and character-building into a tapestry that never sacrifices story for humor or vice versa.
So if I haven’t made it clear, I really liked this movie – laughing, crying, etc. Don’t miss this one. Seriously, don’t – you don’t want to mess with Thelma.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: You can catch the Milwaukee Film Festival’s showings of Thelma at the Oriental Theatre on Monday, April 15 at noon and Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m.
