Comedies about old people rebelling against the system have been pretty popular in cinema, from the jagged barbs of The Holdovers to the chaos of 2019’s Lucky Grandma and last year’s sentimental The Great Escaper. However, new action-comedy Thelma tackles the subject in a new and impressive way.
June Squibb (last heard as the voice of Inside Out 2’s Nostalgia) plays Thelma, a 93-year-old widow who is duped out of $10,000 by a con man claiming to be her grandson. Enraged by the theft, she takes an old friend (Richard Roundtree) and his scooter on a slow rampage of revenge.
Josh Margolin’s film, loosely inspired by his own grandmother, is a clever and often hilarious romp. With all the fearlessness of an action hero, Squibb uses society’s assumptions of old people to her advantage as she slowly but surely works out the perpetrator of the crime.
There’s some poignant meditation on old age, and how the fear of losing your usefulness can be worse than any ailment. However, Margolin also makes sure to point out how a lack of courage can hamper you at any age, as shown in Thelma’s family (Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Fred Hechinger) dealing with their own anxieties.
Roundtree, in the legend’s final film before his death, has a fantastic rapport with Squibb, but it’s the 94-year-old character actor who holds your attention. She embodies both the frailties of age, as she struggles with computers and varieties of bread. However, she’s also burning with the spirit that shows adventure doesn’t come with an age limit.
Avoiding the mawkish sentiment of many similar films, Thelma is an unlikely hero who you can’t help but cheer for. Well-acted and written, it makes a statement about old age without ever taking the smile from your face.
• Thelma is in cinemas now