🍿100: Thelma

Free issue: A guest review, Mrs. Doubtfire and three hot horror trailers 😱

Jun 27, 2024

“Whoa! Look at these wrinkles. What is holding this woman together?”
~ The Emperor’s New Groove, 2000

All the leading ladies…

It’s the 100th issue of Salty Popcorn and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than Sicily (other than maybe the cinema!). In my absence,

Heather Cate Wright

will be ushering SP into the era of triple digits with her review of Thelma.

Before I hand over the reigns, next week’s issue of SP will also be free as

Chris Patrick

will be covering my second week away. We’ll also be launching the first vote for the SP Film Club, so stay tuned!

Now, over to Heather:

I remember the day in college when Netflix started recommending film and television to me under the category of “strong female leads.” At the time, I didn’t know that complex female characters had been traditionally underrepresented. I hadn’t heard of the Bechdel test. I wasn’t a feminist (yet).

I made a snarky comment about it on Twitter, and my writing professor replied, “This is a good thing!” (The same professor who handed me a DVD set of Girls and told me it was the response to Sex and the City.)

Since then, I’ve grown to love film and TV featuring strong female leads, which is why I write about it in Leading Ladies with Heather Wright. And it’s why I’m thrilled to bring you this week’s review of Thelma, a film that features not one but two underrepresented groups: women and the senior population.

If you’re interested in more recommendations for film and TV, specifically featuring leading ladies, head on over to Leading Ladies with Heather Wright. The goal is cultivating conscious consumption — there’s a lot out there! — of quality film and television by the ladies, starring the ladies, for everyone.

What’s Popping

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright get younger with the help of AI in Robert Zemeckis’ century-spanning drama, Here (there’s a trailer too). Read more.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan have officially started shooting the sequel to Freaky Friday. Read more.
Trans Memoria, the documentary by Swedish artist Victoria Verseau about her return to Thailand, where she transitioned, will premier at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Read more.
Yorgos Lanthimos is keeping busy, with another film, Bugonia, starring Emily Stone and Jesse Plemons set to be released next year. Read more.

Upcoming Releases

Nosferatu

UK: 25 December // USA: 25 December

Bill Skarsgård stars as Count Orlok, the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks a young woman in 19th-century Germany in Robert Eggers’ upcoming gothic horror.

Heretic

UK: 15 November // USA: 15 November

Two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

The Front Room

UK: 6 September // USA: 6 September

Written and directed by twins Sam and Max Eggers (the younger brothers of Robert Eggers), a young couple are forced to take responsibility for an estranged stepmother.

Fact of the week

Now, I’m not saying there’s a resemblance between June Squibb and Mrs. Doubtfire, but something about this week’s feature film reminded me (Tom) of the classic Robin Williams’ comedy. So, as we approach the 10th anniversary of Williams’ death, what better way to celebrate his life than with a little insight into his unique process…

In an interview with Business Insider, Mrs. Doubtfire director Chris Columbus said the crew shot “two million feet” of film during production (which is a lot considering most films use less than 500,000 feet) thanks to Williams’ non-stop improvisation. Columbus recalls Williams saying: “Hey boss, the way I like to work if you’re up for it, is I’ll give you three or four scripted takes, and then let’s play.”

“Footage we used in the movie, outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage; it’s in a warehouse somewhere and we would like to hire an editor to go in and look at all of that… There is something special and magical about how he went about his work and I think it would be fun to delve into it.”

Apparently, there are 900 boxes of footage, just sitting somewhere waiting to be used.

It’s a fascinating interview, and if you want to find out even more about Williams, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is a wonderful and intimate documentary, made using mostly archival footage.

Submit Your Fact

Review: Thelma

Star rating:

4 (out of 5)

Where to watch:

USA: Only in cinemas

UK: Only in cinemas

Runtime:

1hr 37m

Director:

Josh Margolin

Blurb:

Thelma (June Squibb) is a 93-year-old who lives alone and receives visits from her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger). When a scammer calls, Thelma falls for the ruse. Not content to sit by and let the thief get away with it, Thelma enlists the help of her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) to get the money back. In the process, Thelma and Ben must reckon with their limitations and explore what it means to have a good life even when one is near the end of it.

The review:

This delightful directorial debut from writer and actor Josh Margolin is about more than a granny getting revenge. It’s about the people on the margins, the elderly, and how we view them. It’s about how we treat our more vulnerable family members. And Thelma gives us the opportunity to glimpse a day in the life of a senior — how they spend their time, their little nuisances and frustrations, and their desire for autonomy.

Margolin wrote the film based on the experience of his real-life grandmother, also Thelma, who was almost scammed into sending $10,000 for his bail. This is disturbingly common. Nearly everyone has a story of an elderly relative receiving fraudulent phone calls. Margolin takes this experience and turns it into a heartfelt action comedy, pulling from classic buddy cop tropes, with a soundtrack to match. We’re familiar with the form; what’s unique are the protagonists.

First, there’s Thelma (June Squibb), who is the epitome of a grandma: she’s bad with technology, works on needlepoint projects and plays solitaire on her computer, wears quilted jackets and hearing aids, and is sweet on her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger). But as Thelma gets older, her family worries about how long she can keep living alone without getting hurt.

Then there’s Ben (Richard Roundtree), an old friend of Thelma’s. He enjoys his life in a retirement home and believes others his age should do the same. Still, it’s clear he cares for Thelma.

Roundtree is earnest and convincing in his role as sidekick. Both he and Squibb are seasoned actors with standout performances, delivering their one-liners in deadpan fashion and eliciting laughter throughout the theatre. There is nothing cheesy or overly sentimental about these two, and their choices and dialogue show us how seriously the film takes the personhood of the elderly.

For the most part, the plot moves at a solid pace. While we are fairly certain there has to be a happy ending, it’s not entirely predictable how Thelma and Ben will win out in the end. And the villain behind it all? Let’s just say he’s met his equal in Thelma.

There’s also the Danny subplot, which mirrors his grandmother’s experience. He’s a little lost in life and his parents are trying to control him, but he just might have something to learn from Thelma. Hechinger gives us an enjoyable performance as the sweet grandson but lost me in a moment of heightened emotion that felt contrived.

The combination of the cinematography and soundtrack intensifies the spoofy undertone: with close-up “action” shots of Thelma climbing the stairs in Brooks tennis shoes and a musical score by Nick Chuba designed to make us think of films like Mission: Impossible and Ocean’s 11 (or, if you’re me, The Pink Panther). “Thelma’s Theme” captures her spirit and the film’s energy perfectly. The bright colour saturation sets a surrealist SoCal tone, but there’s still a feel of authenticity: Margolin says they shot in his grandmother’s actual former condo, the set design including some pieces and elements from his childhood.

Thelma is a comedy for everyone. Possibly because you have elderly relatives Thelma and Ben remind you of, but also because it’s the type of day-to-day existence that many of us are headed for. What brought Thelma home for me was the poignant question I left the cinema thinking about: when you’re at the end of your life, what does it mean to keep living a good one?

For a society that would prefer to ignore our seniors and ignore the fact that we, too, will be old one day, Thelma reminds us that good days are still possible and it’s worth carrying on for the people we love.

Scroll down to see what’s in the next issue.

If you liked Thelma…

The Farewell

2019 | UK: Amazon Prime (£3.49) // US: HBO Max / AppleTV+ ($3.00)

When a family learns of their grandmother’s terminal diagnosis, they decide it would be better not to tell her. Instead, they gather to say their goodbyes under the pretence of a fake family wedding.

Like Thelma, The Farewell is another feel-good indie film inspired by true events. From female director Lulu Wang, it deals with themes of ageing, mortality, and intergenerational relationships. Awkwafina gives us a powerful performance as granddaughter, Billi. She has the hardest time hiding her emotions from Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao). Be prepared with the tissue box, as The Farewell is a tearjerker.

In the next issue:

A Quiet Place: Day One

UK: 27 June // USA: 28 June | Watch the Trailer

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