Synopsis

Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, THELMA puts a clever spin on movies like Mission: Impossible shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humour, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle ageing with agency. In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, June Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business – despite what her daughter Gail, son-in-law Alan, or grandson Danny might believe.

Critics Views

“Squibb’s charm, her gutsiness, and her sharp, subtle humour fill the movie with warmth and veracity. May we all age like her.” Austin Chronicle

“Thelma is slickly made, real-life grandmother sweet, overall warm and winsome. It’s likely to draw laughs if you’ve ever coached someone on how to use a computer, tears if you’ve ever loved an elderly person who held tightly to their dignity. And Squibb is as understatedly funny and commanding as you’d expect.” The Guardian

“It’s a great big happy, sad and profoundly moving hug of a film.” The Times

“Thelma is a totally pure delight that gives June Squibb a much-deserved leading role. Her and Roundtree are fabulously paired and Margolin’s script is breezy and sharp in equal measure. You’ll want to see this with your best friend, your parents, and, yes, your grandma.” The Wrap

“Margolin’s directorial debut is often super entertaining with just enough style and patience to avoid the trappings of a broad, studio endeavor. It also has a ton to say about senior autonomy, aging, ageism (two very different things), and the bonds between family members, young and old.” The Playlist

Film Rating

IMDb
 Critics: 77%  Audience 70%

Rotten Tomatoes
Critics positive review 98%   Audience Liked It 83%

 Stockbridge Audience Score: 72%

Audience Comments

A real ‘feel good’ film We came away smiling.
Some incidents very familiar! We need to keep laughing whatever place we are in.
Just so funny
Touched many emotions
Lightweight as expected and think UK would have done it better.
Charming, some hilarious scenarios yet full of poignancy.
Silly but fun. Dragged on a bit in the middle. Easy to watch.
Undemanding and feel-good
Charming, witty and entertaining film
Some great bits but some very slow padding that did not add to the overall experience of the film. Amore honest approach would have been to make it totally funny and whacky and not to try to make it a profound study of the family dynamic.
Fun way to spend a cold January evening
Enjoyable romp
Good storyline, very well executed,
100 minutes of light hearted fun.
Interesting choice for an older audience! Provoked plenty of thoughts about late age care. We wondered if it was a grad film, but the credits didn’t say.
Wonderful humour
Very saccharine with a few good jokes.
Excellent choice for a cold, grey January day.
I liked the relationship between the grandson and Thelma.
Most impressive performance by main actress.
In spite of being fairly frivolous I thought the film was funny, poignant and relevant to today’s scams. I believe it was based on a true story. ”
Some funny sparks and emphasised how awful it is to get old!