Thelma and Louise

Released:  May 24^th, 1991

Rated:  R

Studio:  MGM

Starring:  Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Brad Pitt

Directed by:  Ridley Scott

Written by:  Callie Khouri

Personal Bias Alert:  was familiar with the ending, generally enjoys Ridley Scott’s movies

7.5 of 10

            Boy did this film have a long gestation period.  Screenwriter Callie Khouri was hired in 1980, eleven years before the film’s release, a time period in which seemingly every actress in Hollywood was discussed for the two leads.  Directors and actors linked to the project were just as numerous, even for the small role that spring boarded Brad Pitt into hunky superstardom.  Eleven years is a long time, but it seems to have been well spent.

            Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis star as the titular duo, a pair of close friends just trying to get away for the weekend.  An unfortunate event at a bar puts the cops on their tales, and they flee across the southwest.  Trials and tribulations follow, but Thelma and Louise ultimately remains about two buddies going on a road trip.  From the beginning, Thelma stated that the trip was all about letting their hair down, and in that regard it’s a rousing success.

            The chemistry in buddy movies is just as important and just as treacherous as in romances, and it’s one of the places where the long search really paid off.  Sarandon and Davis are like real friends, comfortable wiling away the hours they spend together joking, bickering, or simply ignoring each other.  Perhaps what’s most realistic about them is that they aren’t anywhere near the same person.  Sarandon’s Louise is independent and world-wise while Davis’s Thelma is stifled and frustrated.  It’s understandable that Louise would be drawn to Thelma and vice versa.  Thelma needs someone like Louise to bring her out, and Louise likes having someone under her wing.  We’ve all seen this sort of friendship before.

            These distinct characteristics also makes for very different character arcs, with Thelma bursting out of her shell and Louise quieting down.  These inverse reactions to their circumstances is yet another indication of how different yet complimentary these two are.  Louise, with her more realistic outlook, seems to know in her gut where they’re headed, and Sarandon sells her character’s slow acceptance.  Davis gets to take a big, joyful bite out of her role, funneling much of the good-natured energy of film directly through her.  It’s another reminder of just how great Davis was and just how much audiences have lost with her precipitous fall from the spotlight.

            It’s also nice to see Ridley Scott stretch a bit to wrangle this film’s delicate tone.  Granted, there’s still plenty of explosions and action pieces here, but long portions of the film take place in Louise’s Thunderbird convertible, with the duo more interested in downing Wild Turkey than having a conversation.  This leaves lots of room for quiet character moments, something not often seen in Scott’s big action pieces, but he shows here that he has more range than one might expect.  Yeah, there’s some moments that seem a bit off, but I bought the ending, so something was certainly working.

            Khouri didn’t have expectations to worry about since Thelma and Louise was her first screenplay.  It’s an impressive debut, with good characters and nice thematic work, but there’s a few too many detours and coincidences for it to roll along smoothly.  I scoffed a bit when Pitt showed up the second time, a coincidence that would have been forgivable given the payoff, but a series of encounters with a cartoonishly misogynistic truck driver had me shaking my head.  It’s entirely out of character with the rest of the film, sticking out like an unnecessary sore thumb.  There’s a few other moments like this, but if you are able to disregard them the film can amble along rather pleasingly.

            I get why a lot of people latch on to Thelma and Louise.  Given the material, it’s astoundingly fun, full of comradery and jokes that soften the meat of the story.  Its missteps are there but forgivable, and you get to watch something rarely seen on film:  two women really letting their hair down.  Even if you’re not into that, there’s always that sweet Thunderbird to stare at.

            Other Notes:

Ø   Thelma is an epically bad judge of character.

Ø  Boy does that music date it

Ø  *shakes fist* Hans Zimmer again!

Ø  I want to be someone’s stormtrooper of love.