Film Review — Thelma
June Squibb excels in Josh Margolin’s comic drama about a scammed nonagenarian determined to get even
At next year’s Oscars, I hope June Squibb gets a nomination. Having appeared in supporting casts for decades, it’s great to see her finally snag a lead role. Her nonagenarian performance as the titular Thelma in writer-director Josh Margolin’s comedy-drama is simply sublime. There are far too few films about the plight of the elderly, but this is one of the most outrageously entertaining and poignant.
We’re introduced to Thelma and her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger), who does the lion’s share of looking out for her. Thelma and Daniel have a lovely relationship, but she is sometimes frustrated by Daniel’s insistence she wears tracking devices. Perhaps Daniel gets this from his well-meaning but easily panicked parents (Clark Gregg and Parker Posey), who treat him the same way they treat Thelma.
When Thelma gets scammed and loses $10,000, she determines to find those responsible and get the money back. For this, she enlists the help of a friend presently residing in an old people’s home, Ben (Richard Roundtree), and his trusty mobility scooter. Actually, he’s not someone she particularly likes, but most of her other friends are dead or incapacitated. She states this matter-of-factly, getting…
