Thelma (June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree) – The first time I saw June Squibb was in Scent of a Woman where she played the school official who read the decision of the Disciplinary Committee. Shortly thereafter, she played one of the Debbie Reynolds character’s older friends in In & Out. She played Ray Romano’s employee in Welcome to Mooseport. After years of stage and TV work, she made her movie debut at age 61. At 83, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Nebraska, the second Alexander Payne film in which she appeared (the other was About Schmidt).
In Thelma, she plays a stereotypical feisty, outspoken, tech-ignorant, independent 93-year-old widow who falls for a telephone scam about her grandson being held in jail in Mexico. Based on a true story, Thelma is part romp and part cautionary tale. When Thel realizes her $10,000 is lost, she vows to get it back, not just relent. Because she has had a few senior moments, her family worries that it is time to move her out of her house and into an assisted living facility.
She visits a local nursing home where her friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree), owns one of those electric scooters. Ben is the very definition of an active senior: taking classes, participating in activities, and starring in the home’s upcoming production of Annie. Roundtree, who died last October, is thoroughly engaging here, a far cry from his most famous role as John Shaft in Shaft. Thelma steals the scooter in her quest to track down the scammer(s). Ben decides to go along for the ride.
It is here that the film turns silly, implausible, and ridiculous. But it is still fun to watch Roundtree and 93-year-old June Squibb, who insisted on doing most of her own stunts, tooling around in what could have been entitled “Thel & Ben Go to Encino.”
Just sit back and enjoy it.
p.s. My mother, also named Thelma, almost fell for the same scam when she was in her 80s.