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If Alien’s pitch was ‘Jaws in space’, Thelma’s was something like ‘Mission: Impossible with a grandma’. Long-serving character actor June Squibb’s first lead role at 94 is the kind of film they don’t make anymore. Perhaps they never did. After Malcolm McDowell’s phone scammer dupes her out of $10,000, the cops prove inept and her family considers putting her in a home. She steals a pimped-out mobility scooter from her friend Ben (the final, joyous performance from Richard Roundtree) and embarks on a surprisingly high-octane caper. On one hand, this is a film about age, loneliness and elderly vulnerability. On the other, it’s a satirical revenge comedy perfectly crafted as a thriller by newcomer Josh Margolin that manages to stomp all over twee. Snapped up at Sundance by ultra-indie Magnolia, it’s the company’s biggest hit in its 23-year history, creeping close to last year’s arthouse banker and Oscar-nominee Past Lives. It suggests the recent diverse tastes of the cinema-going audience are no brief blip – and it will make you want to call your grandma.
