June Squibb and Fred Hechinger are the heart and soul of Thelma. Photo / Supplied
June Squibb and Fred Hechinger are the heart and soul of Thelma. Photo / Supplied
Film review: This delightful grey-power action-comedy was originally pitched as Mission: Impossible meets Nebraska – entirely apt since Thelma’s lead actress, 94-year-old June Squibb, received an Oscar nomination for her supporting turn in the 2013 old folks dramedy. While Nebraska was about an old fella who treks determinedly across theUS to claim a $1 million sweepstake prize, in Thelma, Squibb plays the eponymous grandma who goes on a mission to reclaim the $10,000 she lost in a phone scam. Right from its hilariously relatable get-go, Thelma is a heartfelt and heartwarming ride. Thelma lives in happy independence at home, under the watchful eye of helicopter daughter Gail (Parker Posey) and her loving but useless grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger from season one of The White Lotus), who she occasionally calls for IT support. They are the source of most of the laugh-out-loud moments for anyone with elderly parents or impatient adult children.
Too stubborn to wear a medic-alert bracelet, and determined to conquer the challenges of social media, Thelma spends her days doing cross-stitch and filling her pillbox. One day, she receives an alarming phone call from her favourite grandchild, urgently requesting money to pay a lawyer. Only after she has fulfilled the caller’s demands does it transpire that Thelma has been conned.
But while her family is just relieved she’s okay, Thelma needs to prove that she’s not quite ready to be shipped off to a rest home. She enlists the help of old friend Ben (Shaft’s Richard Roundtree) to seek restitution.
Thelma is named after first-time writer-director Josh Margolin’s real grandma, not her plucky namesake from Thelma & Louise. But both characters are cut from the same cloth, as Thelma transforms from gentle-natured and somewhat gullible to a tenacious, justice-seeking, powerhouse.
While all of the film’s relationships are steeped in realism and affection, Margolin’s own love for his grandmother is evident throughout. Hechinger’s Daniel is gorgeous, a 24-year-old softie without ambition or prospects whose devotion to his nan is inspiring. Roundtree (in his final role) is superb as the mobility scooter-driving Ben. But it’s Squibb, finally getting her first lead role in a career spanning 65 years, who is the heart and soul of this wonderful, all-ages crowd-pleaser.
Rating out of five: ★★★★★
Thelma, directed by Josh Margolin, is in cinemas now.
