MOVIE REVIEW Back in January, Jason Statham starred in the action thriller "The Beekeeper" as a former special operations assassin who seeks revenge on a group of people targeting the elderly in phone scams. But in Josh Margolin's directorial debut, "Thelma," it's the elderly who fight back against the phone scammers themselves. Ninety-three-year-old grandmother Thelma (June Squibb) doesn't need no stink-in' Jason Statham.
All she needs is a ride. Set over the course of one day, "Thelma" is a love letter to tough grandmas and Tom Cruise, and a celebration of California's San Fernando Valley, from Encino to Van Nuys. And while "Thelma" is notable for being the very first lead film role for the 94-year-old Squibb, who has been performing for 65 years, the film is also a calling card for writer/ director/editor Margolin, who demonstrates his skill with screen style and suspense in this high-stakes dramedy.
Margolin does a lot with a little in "Thelma," which is inspired by his own relationship with his beloved grandmother, also named Thelma. While the setting may be humble, Margolin captures the unlikely beauty of the Valley and injects thrilling suspense into this yarn, rendering quotidian dramas — like making an unprotected left turn or closing pop-up ads on a webpage — into nail-biting action sequences. His surrogate in "Thelma" is Daniel (Fred Hechinger), a 24-year-old sensitive ne'er-do-well whose best friend is his grandmother Thelma (Squibb).
They spend time together .
