Reviewed by: Brett Willis
STAFF WRITER
Moral Rating: | Very Offensive |
Moviemaking Quality: |
|
Primary Audience: | Adult |
Genre: | Action/Drama |
Length: | 2 hr. 9 min. |
Year of Release: | 1991 |
USA Release: |
Featuring | Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Brad Pitt, Christopher McDonald, Stephen Tobolowsky |
Director |
Ridley Scott |
Producer | |
Distributor |
This is a “buddy” movie about two ordinary women who innocently decide to break out of their everyday lives and somehow end up running from the law.
Louise (Susan Sarandon) is going on a weekend fishing vacation, and she persuades Thelma (Geena Davis) to disobey her husband and come along. When Thelma flirts with a bar patron and he tries to rape her, Louise pulls a gun and rescues her friend; but in the process, she uses excessive force. The remainder of the film is one long huntdown drama/chase scene, as Louise refuses to negotiate with the authorities because of a bad prior experience with the system.
Profanity is extreme. Besides the attempted rape scene, Thelma later has implied sex with a drifter (Brad Pitt). There are several scenes of violence or threatened violence, as the stakes keep going up for the two fugitives. The script is constructed so that Thelma and Louise are more or less forced into some of the desperate measures they take. The film has a definite feminist edge, portraying the women as victims of a patriarchal society.
Although a few scenes are played for laughs, the subject matter is too serious to serve as light entertainment. And the overall mood of the film, which pits men and women against each other, is not healthy for anyone (Christian or otherwise) who takes its message too seriously. I recommend skipping this one unless you’re a well-balanced, mature adult.