Film Review: “Thelma and Louise”

Directed by Ridley Scott and with an Oscar-winning screenplay written by Callie Khouri, “Thelma and Louise” is a film that I cherish. Released in 1991, the film was originally intended to be a low-budget independent fare produced and directed by Khouri herself. After several attempts to pitch the project failed, it ended up on the desk of Ridley Scott, who was elated by the script and wanted to personally help produce it (even if he himself didn’t want to direct it initially). I’m happy he did, though; after several other directors he approached through his production company also passed on the project, Scott decided to direct it himself, and he seamlessly weaves together powerful performances, striking visuals, and a challenging and nuanced script. It is a mix of genres, entangling elements of dramas, road movies, comedies, romances and even thrillers, which Scott and Khouri still managed to juggle on top of the immensely refined script.  

The film follows two young friends, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), as they embark on what was supposed to be a brief vacation from their dull lives in Arkansas. Thelma is a housewife to a gross and controlling carpet salesman, and Louise is trapped in a constantly dreadful and degrading waitressing job. Louise is much more confident and sharper than Thelma, who desires to be more spontaneous and courageous (something Louise supports, although her protectiveness over Thelma initially poses a setback). So, the two jump at the opportunity to escape their dreary lives for the weekend and change things up, something the two of them have rarely ever done. When they begin their road trip, though, the two stop at a roadhouse bar, where Thelma begins to respond receptively to a flirtatious stranger — something incredibly new and freeing for her. While still happy to see Thelma explore this new side of herself, Louise is suspicious and warns her not to go overboard with her growing independence. When Thelma isn’t seen for a while, Louise trusts her instincts and goes outside to the parking lot to find the man attempting to rape Thelma after she had refused his further advances. Louise threatens to shoot him, and the man ceases. However, when the two women walk away, as a final twist of the knife, the man yells that he should’ve continued raping Thelma, which rightfully causes Louise to shoot him dead in a fit of rage. From then on, the pair embark on a road trip towards Mexico, believing that the odds are stacked against them, as Thelma is seen dancing and drinking with the man who attempts to rape her, a crime of which they also had no evidence occurring.   

As the pair head West, they are pursued by the law, have run-ins with hot cowboy hustlers, and mostly peacefully (and fantastically) commit several crimes in the name of empowerment as they dig themselves deeper and deeper into trouble (in some people’s eyes). Or, as I prefer to believe, they do the opposite, not entombing themselves in their graves but explosively deciding to change their lives to something they live for themselves, even though it’s through petty crime. They kick so much ass I was yelling at my television, and the film never feels like it’s cruelly punishing the two for their actions. They face the consequences, and the film ends the way it does, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the film is saying they deserve their fates in any way, shape or form. It doesn’t want you to feel angered or upset about what they’re doing even though it’s criminal; every single action they take is portrayed either as justified, mostly harmless, or always as an empowering act of rebellion (which garnered controversy, even though it isn’t that serious. No one is advocating for imitating them, but rather for understanding them. Again, nuance!) The entire film is an exploration of women finding their freedom through their love for and support of each other and is uncompromising not only with its empathy but also its validation of its female characters.  

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon breathe life into their characters, giving highly emotional, sympathetic, and charming performances that sell your growing love of these characters and desire to see them be okay. Their chemistry is palpable, and the two are still the most recent actresses to both be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for the same film. The film also features a stellar Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen (a year before they were together again in “Reservoir Dogs”), whose portrayals of different types of masculinity (Keitel as the sympathetic and familiar cop chasing Thelma and Louise down and Madsen as Louise’s boring and mostly absent partner) are integral to not only Thelma and Louise’s development but also to the messaging of the film, which is to just let women have their freedom and independence. The biggest scene-stealer, though (in my opinion), is Brad Pitt in one of his first major film roles, who gives one of the funniest performances I’ve ever seen in a drama as a handsome cowboy hustler. Even though you watch as he screws over Thelma and Louise, characters you love and want to see be successful, you can’t hate the guy. He’s too silly!! And he did tell them he was a thief… His character’s scenes are a good representation of Scott’s ability to blend tension with humor, something that contributes (along with the careful and kind script, score, and breathtaking cinematography) to the film’s overall hopeful and less bleak tone, despite how upsetting much of the subject matter is, which I think is a good thing. Through balancing the tone, Scott and Khouri could focus on portraying the incredibly nuanced screenplay in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm their audience.  

I don’t want to spoil it entirely for those who have not paid witness; the iconic and beautiful ending can be read a few different ways, but to me, the specificities of their relationship are less important than that they just love each other and will die for each other, having now found freedom through their new healing, self-confidence, and their love for one another.  

This review doesn’t begin to do “Thelma & Louise” justice, it is such a groundbreaking and layered film that deserves much more time and appreciation, and I believe it will continue to age wonderfully and hopefully inspire more people who deserve to fuck shit up.