Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel

Director: Ridley Scott

Screenplay: Callie Khouri

Genre: Drama/Road Movie

Running time: 2 hrs 13 mins


CRITIQUE:


Ever since BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID hit the celluloid screen, it catalysed a deluge of a whole new genre of Western outlaws and massively influenced buddy movies. People seem to forget that almost all buddy films are made of men, and women are reduced to objects of love and desire, the mere receiving end for some overflowing machismo. This is Ridley Scott’s answer to that genre, and in fact, here, he delivers quite a good bitchslapping to his own male species that he belongs. THELMA & LOUISE holds the record for being the first big-budget Hollywood pic in which there is no leading man, only two leading ladies. It is acclaimed by critics as the ultimate cinematic feminist movement in the 90s. And my word, what a film it is: daring, poignant, funny, honest and revolutionary. It is that kind of film which has the power to change a thing that’s wrong in the world.


This tale of two thirty-something best friends, who want to literally let their hair down on a weekend, engages in a road-trip and after a tragic disaster in a road-side car park, their vacation becomes a nightmarish episode where they accidentally become fugitives. However, Ridley Scott’s approach is not the dark, moody affair we’re supposed to expect. Instead, the material is approached with such fresh filmic vibrancy that crosses the epic lushness of the Western landscape with the equally epic performances of the two lead characters, namely Sarandon and Davis. The road trip never gets cheesy nevertheless, as it becomes something deeper: two women trying to escape their oppressive lives, Louise being a suppressed and neglected housewife, Thelma being an escapist from a fear of a relationship. They both involve in a rapturous, often funny, odyssey into the barren panorama of the dry and hot and results in a daring tale of self-discovery and self-empowerment. By the time Thelma fired a gun to a rapist, their journey turns a hundred and eighty degrees, making them two terrified women. But fear wasn’t their answer, as they succumb to the “call of the wild”.


Nevertheless, this film isn’t without any hint of men. Brad Pitt steps up as the charming yet deceitful love object, the reason that pushes the two gals to rob a shop. Harvey Keitel is also present in quite a polar fashion as the cop which was sympathetic to the lives of the women. The rest are either rude, horny truckers or cops hot on their heels.


But it’s the film’s symbolism of personal freedom that elevates the most. From the two women hollering in the air as they drive the T-Bird, their sense of euphoria away from their domestic mistreatment, it evolves into an eye-opening masterpiece, although a tad violent and radical, but definitely a must-see. It’s also embezzled with laugh-out-loud one-liners, and such hilarious and moving scenes that will both make you smile, laugh, feel and cry. That sublime final shot of the film, as Thelma and Louise commit to complete their bold act, is enough to make the whole film worth watching. It is one of the most moving finales I’ve seen for quite a long while. For a feminist film, it’s not only for women, but in fact, men should watch this as well – to be aware of how a simple thing as respect can change the course of the lives of other people.


VERDICT:

An excellent bow to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this 90's road movie is perhaps the most impressionistic feminist film brought to silverscreen. It's funny as it is moving, heartwarming as it is inspiring - all confidently handled by Sarandon and Davis' assured performances. And the finale just stays with you - an imprint that leaves a mark to your memory.


RATING: A+