Thelma & Louise

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source: Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise

You have to give it up for a movie that casts Michael Madsen as pretty much the only sane guy in existence. Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) go off from their banal existences to a trip that heads up poop creek really REALLY fast. After shooting dead a would-be rapist, they both head for the hills where the law, personal freedom and, yes, Brad Pitt await! I hadn't seen this in quite a number of years, and it was great to come back to. I remembered a lot of it, but I noticed particularly this time the strong performances of not only of Davis and Sarandon, but of Harvey Keitel, Madsen (who is actually amazing), Pitt, and quite underplayingly, Christopher Mcdonald. Ridley Scott puts these elements all together in one explosive package.

Through his career, Ridley Scott was an eclectic film-maker because he broached (with success) several cinema styles: science-fiction with "Alien", historical film with "1492: Christopher Colombus". Here, he succeeded very well his way to the road-movie and this one is listed among the best road-movies ever made. At first look, the story looks simple and without too many claims: two young women, Thelma and Louise are going out for the week-end with the firm intention of having a ball. But what they don't know is that this drive will soon become a descent into hell... The movie is worth seeing for its two main actresses: Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, both outstanding and what interests Ridley Scott, is their temperament and their evolution during the movie. At the beginning, a sensitive and fragile Thelma is next to a energetic and realistic Louise but in the second part of the movie, more precisely, after Thelma burglarized a shop (probably the best sequence in the whole movie) in order to grab money, roles are reversed. This is an occasion to make out Louise's wounds and weaknesses. So, don't rely too much on appearances... "Thelma and Louise" is also a movie where Scott takes a lucid look on the hidden side of the American society and especially on men. Scott introduces them to us with their worst faults: either they're macho (Darryl), obscene (the truck driver), perverse (the rapist) or coward (the cop). The only one saved is Harvey Keitel who never falls into the caricature of the American cop usually described to us as merciless or obsequious. Here, he shows understanding and even compassion towards the two runaways, notably Louise because he knows that she hides a terrible secret. A dynamic and panting movie where laugh and sorrow are skillfully married.

THELMA & LOUISE has to be regarded as a pure 90s classic that brought up a considerable amount of risk in creating a first-person feminist formula into a mainstream movie, which is often missing. It pulls off fantastically true in form, with the exceptional Southern character talents of the two lady fugitives on the run, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, who may stand out as memorable on the silver screen. Let's not forget that silly truck driver they pass quite often, and of course, cowboy Brad Pitt as a young student. While not needed to be fully reliant on action substances like gunshooting, there is good chemistry within its grasp. Every single minute should not be wasteful, as plenty of refreshing outbursts of enjoyment outweighs the familiar old plot of evading the police. The ending is a definite eye catcher, and also the riskiest ever filmed! Beware of this rip-off called GOOD GIRLS DON'T, another poor B-movie with no redeeming quality. Satisfyingly original, and highly recommended!

I felt compelled to add a comment here as I was coerced to watch this film again after having not seen it since its initial release. My lady friend insisted that my dislike for the film would change and that my first viewing (I left the theater nauseus with anger) was with a jaundiced eye. Well, I'm here to say that either my eye is more jaundiced than ever or this really is pretentious tripe. No, this really IS pretentious tripe. In the theater I applauded Thelma and Louise's choice of self-immolation; NOT because I so deeply felt their pain and hopelessness, but simply to rid the world of two self-absorbed, nasty, narcissistic losers. Brought to you by the folks who brought you the end of Western Civilization the message here is: it is better to die than to live having to buy dresses off the rack or Donna Karan knock-offs. It is better to kill oneself than to work with aid's patients, teach poor children to read, aid the disenfranchised, or do anything for humanity. No, your victimhood is FAR more important and ultimately the measuring stick by which you should judge your ultimate existence. Good Lord. Thelma and Louise are dead, and we are to see them as tragic figures instead of badly written screen characters with no redeeming values or reason to live. Tripe.

The only thing that Ridley Scott ever did that was any good was "Alien". Everything else he had directed was terrible, but this movie in particular is his definitive worst. Replace "Thelma and Louise" with two guys, say "Frank and Bill", and you would have the most sexist movie on the planet. But since it's two women, they get away with all the male-bashing you can take. *Spoiler Alert* When Geena Davis picked up Brad Pitt, I knew that he was going to rob her blind the morning after. I guess she was too stupid and guy-struck to realize this, though. I damn near jumped out of my seat and cheered when her and her equally-idiotic friend drove off the cliff. Two less idiots in the world makes a happy ending for me! Now why not cut out the first seven-eighths of the movie out, just show us the suicide run, and you'd have a pretty good movie. Hell, if might just win best picture. Of course, then the movie would have to be named "The Death of Two Morons".