Knock on Wood

My mother was almost scammed recently, and in the weeks since it (almost) happened, I’ve been asking myself why it’s so easy to fool people and disguise your identity these days using technology. I receive at least a few spam texts and calls every month, some masquerading as a company hoping to steal some information, and others simply claiming to have texted the wrong number. Regardless of the method, the intention is the same, and the less you know about phones and the internet, the easier you are to trick. That fact only fully crystallized after I saw Thelma.

A favorite from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Thelma stars character actor June Squibb (who has been acting on-screen since 1985, but has never led a movie until now) as the titular senior citizen, who is conned out of a hefty sum of money when she gets a call from a scammer pretending to be her grandson. Along with her friend Ben (played by Richard Roundtree, in his final posthumous role), she embarks on a revenge quest across Los Angeles to get her money and integrity back.

Thelma is not the first of its kind – revenge movies starring elderly folks – but it’s certainly the best. The character, if not the story, was directly inspired by writer/director Josh Margolin’s grandmother, so there’s a built-in respect for golden agers that is missing from most films that feature older actors. That reverence is what makes most of the jokes land – Margolin’s excellent screenplay tackles aging from a humorous but very real place, not afraid of brushing existentialism and the very serious subject of mortality with wit and well-intentioned levity. I hesitate to call the film’s comedy “old people humor,” but the fact that it takes advantage of the generational disconnect between the characters as an opportunity for more laughs, including its contextualization within a revenge story, makes the label almost inarguable. But as the film itself posits, there’s nothing wrong with that.

A phone-based scam as the inciting incident is not only clever because it could only work in this kind of movie, but the fallout only proves why this sort of thing happens. When you’re in crisis mode, rational thought goes out the window. That’s part of why older people are the most frequent victims of these types of scams – not only are they not familiar with the concept, but they don’t know the technology and tend to fill in the gaps themselves. Thelma hears the voice of a young man and automatically assumes it to be her grandson, and her thinking out loud essentially gives the scammers the information they need to seem official and further exploit the terror of the moment. Of course, when Thelma informs her family, they quickly get to the bottom of it, but by then, the money’s already gone.

Squibb (who is absolutely hilarious, and spry as ever at 93 years old!) and Roundtree are joined by a solid supporting cast. Standouts include Fear Street alum Fred Hechinger as Thelma’s tech-oriented grandson Danny, who scrambles to find his grandmother after she goes off on her quest to prove to his parents he can handle real life; the “Queen of the Indies” herself, Parker Posey, as Danny’s level-headed mother Gail; former MCU star Clark Gregg as Danny’s father Alan; and iconic character actor Malcolm McDowell, who has a brief but memorable role as tchotchke shop owner Harvey. The relatability of each and every character, in some manner or another, is what gives Thelma its roots and keeps the story grounded and within the bounds of reality.

Margolin utilizes every possible opportunity for humor, keeping everything fresh and breezy throughout the film’s 98 minutes – including extended shots of Thelma walking on a street accompanied by action music, very ordinary actions treated with the weight of a car chase or action set piece, and the playful mundanity of Thelma’s daily routine – but the production remains thoughtful and sensitive, in addition to being excellent from a technical perspective. No one was skimping on Thelma, and the efforts of the entire crew should not go unappreciated.

Even beyond the situational comedy, Thelma is an incredibly sweet story that understands the core empathy of humanity, especially on the receiving end – it takes great pains to emphasize that it’s never shameful to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength, and we can’t forget that, especially as we get older.

Thelma opens in theaters this Friday, June 21.