Thelma and Louise



Why is this film here?
It’s a great road movie and just a great movie. Period.

Let me count the ways…
two indelible women characters, Louise played by Susan Sarandon and Thelma by Geena Davis;
two terrific lead performances by them;
one unforgettable film debut by Brad Pitt;
amazing cinematography, great music, good supporting players;
dynamic cohesive script by Callie Khouri;
excellent directing by Ridley Scott;
one super duper car.
And an ending that is still exhilarating.

The furor this film caused in 1991 when these “good girls” went bad may seem quaint today.

Thelma and Louise was denounced from pulpits, scorned by many frightened (male) reviewers, chastised by editorial writers and subversive to fundamentalists.
It was nominated for multi Oscars and still feels fresh and dangerous.
It is not a quaint set-piece relegated to history and so it is still not safe from heavy-handed moralists. Even today.

Because it is still shocking.

Things that still shock here include:
. the visceral response it can evoke when Louise shoots.
(the words “Yes! Ha-HA!” have often escaped from me at that moment.
This kind of thing was what stunned those (male) reviewers in theatres across North America.)
. the complete transformation of Thelma from gawky mouse to an outlaw finding that she “really has a knack for this shit”.
. the absolute arrival of Brad Pitt. This film earned him life-long fans. Believe me.
. the one and only correct ending to this film

The look of the film is paramount too and cinematographer Adrian Biddle provides it..
From the claustrophobia of their home lives to wide open spaces, that saturated dark blue of the sky, the endless highways, the deepening suntans
and casual denim wardrobe, the dust rising from the screeching wheels, the music…they all resonate with almost perfect aptness.

Beautiful editing and killer music cues support the action marvellously.

There are a couple of areas where the film veers slightly off it’s strong, true course.
In Callie Khouri’s Oscar-winning screenplay, three male characters seem both over-played and maybe slightly under-understood.
One is Thelma’s husband, another is the truck driver and the third is the FBI man who is
Harvey Keitel’s superior.
They all tread the line of characature and may at times cross it. It’s a taste call, I guess.
To me they are less well-drawn or portrayed than the other men in the movie.

The movie impacted pop culture and society. Thelma and Louise are the women we heard roar.

They are roaring still.

Recommended.