When Josh Margolin’s grandmother Thelma got a call from a phone scammer, they were thankfully able to stop her before any money was taken. Most of us would move on. Instead, he made it into one of the year’s best independent films. Serving as the first starring film role for June Squibb after a more than 70-year acting career, Thelma is a funny, heartbreaking movie about never letting age stop you from accomplishing something, even as you come to terms with mortality. Also, it’s partially an action movie. Yes, Squibb shows us that you’re never too old to be an action star.
93-year-old Thelma Post lives alone when she isn’t being visited and helped by her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger) for things like figuring out how to use computers. One day, the unthinkable happens: she gets a call from Daniel saying he’s in jail for vehicular manslaughter and he needs $10,000 bail. The good news is, it’s just a phone scammer and Daniel is fine. The bad news: She already sent them the money. With the police of little help, and her family considering whether or not she can live on her own, Thelma decides this sweet old lady isn’t going to be another victim. Inspired by Mission: Impossible, she runs off with Ben (Richard Roundtree, in his final role), an old friend now in an assisted living facility, to track down the scammers and get her money back.
In the wrong hands, this could’ve been a joke that got old fast. Thankfully, Margolin knows exactly what he’s doing. He turns what could’ve been just a mere series of action movie cliches with old people into a hilarious and often wrenching dramedy about the experience of aging, as well as how we view our elders. There’s real emotional weight to this story, and for obvious reasons, the stakes are extremely high. The rest of the family aren’t just the ones trying to stop her. Their concerns are treated as genuine, and the audience cares for them as well. The family also gets their own fleshed out arc, specifically through the parents’ (Clark Gregg and Parker Posey) overprotectiveness of Daniel and his guilt about the situation.
That said, the film is also an absolute gut-buster. The action movie stuff works, and a lot of the comedy is carried by Squibb herself. This is a great script, but Squibb’s delivery is absolutely perfect for this role, and for her first (belated) star vehicle, she does an amazing job. The cast overall is top-notch, and while Roundtree’s inclusion certainly fits the premise, it also helps elevate the themes. He serves as a voice of reason to the proceedings, as someone who knows he probably can’t do something like this anymore, and delivers some of the most emotional gut-punches of the film. The fact that this is Roundtree’s last role makes this all the more heartbreaking of a performance.
I will absolutely not spoil too much of this movie here, but overall, this is independent filmmmaking at its best. Margolin turns a personal anecdote into what is equally one of the best comedies and yes, action movies of the year. By the time it ends, maybe you’ll even look at your own grandparents a little differently. In her first starring movie role, Squibb gives one of the best lead performances of 2024, and as an unexpected action hero to boot. It’s been a long time coming, but I can’t think of a better honor than that.
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