Thelma

According to playwright David Mamet, Age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance. And, if 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) has anything to say about it in this fact-based action-comedy-drama, you can take that notion to the bank. In this story of a spry but sometimes-gullible widowed retiree living on her own, we watch often in jaw-dropping awe a feisty, independently minded senior determined to get her money back when shes scammed out of her funds in a phone-based phishing scheme. Thelma says nothing about her plan to her family (Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg), who are already concerned about her ability to continue living on her own, and recruits the assistance of a wily old friend (Richard Roundtree) to joi...

Grandma "Thelma" (June Squibb) is rather cruelly fleeced by a man pretending that her beloved grandson "Daniel" (Fred Hechinger) has been in a car accident with a pregnant women. $10,000 lighter her family realise she's been scammed and she is having none of it. Recruiting her pal "Ben" (Richard Roundtree) - or, more accurately, car-napping his mobility scooter, she escapes from the protective custody of her family and sets off to find the culprit. Squibb and Roundtree are obviously having great fun here as the pair embark on an engaging series of geriatric adventures that illustrate, clearly, that though the body may be weak the spirit is very much alive and kicking - and you know you're in for a decent denouement with Malcolm McDowell in ...

If it was created with a different set of sensibilities, Thelma couldve easily been a cheap shot at seniors (and a forgettable experience). Imagine a sitcom-style movie with stale gags about how oldies can lose their marbles, their temper, or their bladder control. A film built around a character thats there purely to be laughed at.

Instead, were laughing with Thelma Post, and at the assumptions and stereotypes about the elder community that she pierces, one by one, and undermines. Its great writing, brought to life by an ace June Squibb, firing on all cylinders. Together, they create a poignant reminder that even at 93 perhaps especially at 93 youve earned the right to maintain your independence and dignity. And maybe set off an explo...