My Review of Thelma And Louise (1991)

 

Written by Callie Khouri

Directed by Ridley Scott

Thelma: "Louise, no matter what happens, I'm glad I came with you."

I have to admit this movie was a first time viewing for me. Yes, it's over thirty years old, has been references in many TV shows and of course, I like both leading actors in this production. Do I like this movie? As it happens, yes I do like it. I like to a lot.

The premise was straightforward enough. You've got Thelma, played by Geena Davis, stuck in a loveless marriage with a feckless idiot named Darryl (Christopher McDonald) and then you've got Louise (Susan Sarandon), a bored waitress in need of an adventure and with this movie, the two best friends get exactly that and a lot more than they bargained.

Heading off on their adventure, the two ladies stop at a bar where Thelma gets acquainted with a man named Harlan (Timothy Carhart). It doesn't take long for Harlan to show his true colours and when he tried to assault Thelma, he ended up getting shot by Louise and that's where the trip went from being a simple girls trip to no turning back for either of them.

Throughout the movie, both women's friendship gets severely tested and they're in need of money to make it all the way to Mexico to start their new lives. Thelma's on-off boyfriend, Jimmy (Michael Madsen) gets the pair enough money only for Louise's petty criminal new friend, J.D. (Brad Pitt) to steal in on them, forcing Louise to rob in order to fund their travels.

With the pair of them becoming fugitives in such a short time frame and a sympathetic detective named Hal (Harvey Keitel) trying to get the ladies to turn themselves in, the movie becomes more of a cat and mouse game with the pair doing the damndest to evade the law at all costs. Also while teaching some of the menfolk in how to respect women as two minor characters learned the hard way in the desert.

Of course the biggest takeaway from this movie was the final chase itself. The lines between platonic and romantic love with the title duo seemed to blur as they made the decision to sacrifice their lives than surrender to the authorities. It's one hell of a way to end things.

- Originally it was meant to be Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster for the title roles but both ended up leaving the project due to other commitments.

- George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo were also considered/rejected for the role of J.D.

- Needless to say, the studio were not keen on the ending but let it remain when no alternative could be found.

- Despite this movie coming out in 1991, the script was written all the way back in 1984.

Thelma And Louise is definitely the ultimate feminist film where the menfolk (bar one character) are not portrayed in the most sympathetic of light. It's a brilliant road trip film with both Davis and Sarandon giving career high performances and it's not hard to see why it's left quite the lasting legacy.

Rating: 9 out of 10