Thelma

Nonagenarian June Squibb (Nebraska, I'll See You in My Dreams, Palm Springs) shines as the titular star of writer/director Josh Margolin's feature debut. Clearly written for Squibb and based on Margolin's own grandmother, the story sees 93-year-old Thelma Post getting tricked by one of those phone scammers who prey on the elderly by pretending to be a grandchild in desperate need of cash. After she sends the scammer $10,000, Thelma decides to get the money back despite the objections of her condescending family—daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), and grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger). When she goes to borrow a 2-person scooter from her old buddy Ben (Richard Roundtree), she gets a reluctant ride-along companion for the quest she embarks on across LA to recover her stolen loot and self-respect.

Every cast member in this ensemble is terrific; it's as fun to see '90s indie It-Girl Parker Posey (Party Girl, The Daytrippers, The House of Yes) get another hilariously high-strung role as it is to see Squibb play a lead rather than her usual foul-mouthed scene-stealing supporting character. While I can't say this feels like the most fitting final film for the legendary Richard Roundtree (the Shaft films, Portrait of a Hitman, Maniac Cop), it's great to see him in one last lead role at age 81. Margolin cooks up some funny sequences for these two elderly actors to play, though not every moment is as funny as the filmmaker clearly wants them to be.

Thelma feels like a callback to the era when arthouses were flooded by second and third-tier Sundance indies in that it's a pleasing watch, even though you can feel the filmmaker manipulating you with contrived quirkiness instead of engaging in the real work of crafting a fully credible story that earns your good feelings. Of course, back in the '90s, when even small Sundance indies were shot on film, movies like this looked great. Thelma looks like it was hastily lit in locations that were chosen for their convenience rather than any aesthetic reasons. Still, you go to this movie for Squibb and her fellow cast members. Regardless of their foibles, these characters are all people you enjoy spending 100 minutes with.