Thelma & Louise (1991)

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon co-star as the iconic characters in this highly influential outlaw road movie directed by Ridley Scott – both actresses were nominated for Oscars along with the screenwriter Callie Khouri who actually won the award for Best Original Screenplay that year.  

Young Brad Pitt also co-stars in what many would consider to be one of his early breakout roles alongside Michael Madsen and Harvey Keitel.  At the time of release, this movie was considered quite controversial. Hear what Geoff has to say about this star-studded movie of all time!

WARNING - SENSITIVE TOPICS

Host: Geoff Gershon   
Producer: Marlene Gershon   

https://livingforthecinema.com/

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Transcript

THELMA & LOUISE - 1991

Directed by Ridley Scott (Audio clip)

Starring Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt

Genre: Western Road Movie

With so many great films having come out in '91 celebrating 30th anniversaries, consider me pretty surprised that more folks aren't remembering this one....this was and remains one of the best films of 1991, it has probably suffered a bit from both overpraise AND dismissiveness resulting from its female leads and its overall Feminist tone. But first and foremost, it's still a great buddy road movie about friendship featuring two iconic yet relatable protagonists both delivered through excellent performances from its stars, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. Both were deservedly nominated for Oscars and both lost to...Jodie Foster who won Best Actress for Silence of the Lambs which I'm ok with though of the three, I would personally have chosen Davis for her performance as the titular Thelma.

 Thelma goes through quite the arc in this story as we watch her evolve from meek housewife to fearless outlaw...no it's not the most original character arc but Davis sells every increment of it so by the time we get to that emotional climax for her and Louise (Sarandon) at the edge of the Grand Canyon, all of those emotions are EARNED.  As does Sarandon who might even have the more slightly difficult role since her character doesn't go through quite so many dramatic changes...for her, it's all about thinking through everything that's happening all around her and genuinely protecting herself from revealing too much, even to Thelma. I hadn't seen this in probably at least a decade and I could have SWORN that I remembered her character actually recounting what happened to her in Texas...we certainly have a very good idea that it involved her being raped but she never directly reveals it to Thelma or anyone else, I think that actually benefits the story and her performance.  (Audio clip)

A sexual assault does occur early in the film and it's presented pretty unflinchingly though not in any sort of exploitive manner - it has the necessary impact of not only being the inciting incident for T&L's journey afterwards but also giving us context for how our title characters just lose their trust with almost anyone they encounter from that point forward. (Audio clip) It's to the credit of director Ridley Scott and especially writer Callie Khouri (who justifiably did win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay that year) that tonally, the film is able to sustain the weight of this incident while also allowing for several lighter moments which result from both of our protagonists having some measure of fun with their new outlaw status. 

And of course, that leads to the appearance of the JD character about halfway through played by a 27-year old Brad Pitt in literally a star-making performance...he really DOES smolder with most of his screentime as an object of desire for Thelma but also effectively serves as a catalyst for the increasing level of distrust our two lead characters eventually have. (Audio clip) Besides him, you have a pretty strong supporting cast including Harvey Keitel as the sympathetic cop on their trail, a nicely subdued Michael Madsen as Louise's supportive boyfriend, and a somewhat cartoonish Christopher McDonald as Thelma's loutish husband - his performance is probably the broadest in the movie but he serves his purpose. (Audio clip)

At the end of the day, this is still the Davis and Sarandon show - they have fantastic chemistry and bring the right mix of gravity and humor to these characters. Also, all of the film's vistas of the Rockies that we see them driving through look gorgeous thanks to DP Adrian Biddle who also did amazing work for Aliens and V for Vendetta...hmmm I see a correlation along with those movies. :) Hans Zimmer also delivers one of his better scores which highlight both the majesty of their surroundings along with the treacherous circumstances our heroes both eventually find themselves in...just a few key guitar notes at certain points are liable to get you choked up. 😥

 SPOILER ALERT (regarding ending of thirty-year-old movie) 

 As for the much-discussed ending...I still think it generally works. There was obviously a ton of handwringing at the studio related to HOW to present it in a way that would alienate early '90's audiences the least, there was clearly a lot of compromises. To me, that last freeze-frame shot, the fade to white, the inspiring music that plays over it are just about perfect but I DO wish they held on to that shot and the fade a bit longer to let it sink in. The transition to credits over scenes of Thelma & Louise looking happy just feels so abrupt...I get why they did that and in '91, it probably made sense to try to quickly reassure audiences from a business standpoint. But it just slightly lessens the impact of that ending - still a great ending to a great film!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout the runtime of film): 

Hans Zimmer’s score for this remains one of his best – it has a country sound with a modern synth sound behind it helped by some great slide guitar being played by Pete Haycock.  And that slide guitar gives this score its soul….especially during the final scene which I’m going to try again NOT to spoil but let’s just say it’s doesn’t land NEARLY as well without this stirring music.  The track is called “The Decision” and I would challenge anyone who’s seen this movie to keep their eyes from welling up when they hear that slide guitar kick in…. (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

I like his performance overall but years later after having rewatched this, I’m still not exactly sure what Michael Madsen is doing in this movie – he’s in love with Louise but he just seems WAY too cool with watching her run off to evade the law….especially since she just proposed marriage to her.  It’s tough because I’ve always been a sucker for early ‘90’s Madsen, this was literally the predecessor to his breakout role a year later in Reservoir Dogs.  If nothing else, his character seems more purpose-driven: mainly to give our protagonists SOME kind of lifeline who can wire them money when they most need it and also to give Louise an excuse to leave to meet with him so that Thelma can be alone that same night with JD played by Brad Pitt.  So yeah, I guess you could say that Madsen was saddled with a role that has more often been relegated to women in movies like this….the thankless love interest to our hero who just shows up when it’s convenient.  Hey at least, props to this film for being that progressive back in ’91…. (Audio clip)

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

Pretty much most of the more gratifying standout moments happen in the second half of this movie when our two heroines are on the run on the law and none more so when they are eventually pulled over by a state trooper in the middle of the desert played nicely by Jason Beghe….he takes Louise into the front of his car to question her and then Louise pops in and points a gun to his head to take over.  Now she doesn’t threaten him, she just politely takes control of the situation…..BOTH of them are actually quite polite as they take his ammo, direct him into the trunk of his car – but they do shoot airholes in it first out of courtesy – and then see themselves off.  It’s fun to watch not only Davis’s Louise really come into her own as a woman now in control but to watch her interplay with Sarandon’s Thelma who’s still apparently adjusting to the situation – just a fun scene, that’s your trailer moment.  (Audio clip)

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

In the same vein of both actresses being nominated for Best Actress, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are your co-MVP’s – their chemistry is undeniable and their performances are unassailable.  Beyond that over the past 30+ years, Thelma & Louise have both become iconic characters…..just saying their names have become shorthand with so many things including close friends on the run, Feminism, road trips, etc.  And they have now earned their place among the other iconic duos in film history alongside Bonnie & Clyde, Oscar & Felix, and Riggs & Murtaugh.  But beyond that, what makes the performances of both actresses so impressive is that they are not playing these characters as types or distinct TROPES.  Davis and Sarandon created three-dimensional characters who can’t easily be defined by just one or two things – they’re flawed and relatable which makes their story that much more compelling.  This film was definitely lightning in a bottle at the time of its release….Scott was definitely at the top of his game allowing his technical acumen to serve a great screenplay by Khouri.  And it’s actually quite miraculous that it was released when it was and with that ending no less.  Much of the credit for that has to go with the spot-on casting and performances of its two leads – therefore, I salute both Geena and Susan as co-MVPs!

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Streaming on Hulu, Paramount+, and The Criterion Channel