Thelma
June Squibb and Richard Roundtree aren’t the heroes we deserve, but they’re the ones we need.
The actors’ late-career skills are on full display in writer/director/editor Josh Margolin’s semi-autobiographical comedy Thelma, an example of geriatric humor done right and a refreshing rebound for the sub-subgenre after the abysmal Summer Camp and many other embarrassing entries before it.
After a breezy opening few minutes that establishes the delightful rapport between nonagenarian Thelma (Squibb, Nebraska) and her 20something grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger, Eighth Grade), one rooted in her bafflement with modern technology and his helpful bite-size advice to make the modern world more manageable, the plot kicks in as our protagonist falls for a convincing phone scam.
In the resulting efforts to retrieve her money, it becomes clear that Thelma has a pleasant, silly, kindhearted way not merely Daniel, but practically everyone she encounters. The matriarch’s funny running commentary on life — and willingness to chat up anyone who looks familiar and attempt to figure out how they might know each other — is a joy to behold and fortifies Squibb’s reputation as a master of line delivery.
Thelma’s insistence to right her wrong eventually loops in her longtime acquaintance Ben (Roundtree), the star of his assisted living facility, and together they go on the lam atop his deluxe motorized scooter — all of which improbably winds up being even more entertaining than it sounds.
Under Margolin’s loving guidance, Thelma works in part because sexual innuendo wisely never enters the fray. Though AARP romance isn’t an immediate death sentence for a film, it’s difficult to enact without coming off as sophomoric, so the man in charge — impressively making his feature directorial debut — steers clear of it, finding richer yuks via shenanigans with a Life Alert bracelet and the musings of judgmental nursing home employees.
Further aiding matters is the presence of Parker Posey and Clark Gregg as Thelma’s daughter and son-in-law, essentially playing slightly older, dog-free versions of Posey’s and Michael Hitchcock’s tightly-wound couple from Best in Show, albeit tense for family control reasons and a good deal more self-aware in public.
As the film reaches its largely inevitable climax and loops in Malcolm McDowell as a fellow geezer doing his best to get by, Margolin serves up non-insulting reminders that we all need help sometimes and that, even then, there’s still plenty of room for independence. Stick around for the credits and you’ll understand why the filmmaker carries such a sunny but realistic outlook on life.
Grade: B-plus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Carolina Cinemark, Grail Moviehouse, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: Magnolia Pictures)
